COLUMBIA, Mo.—After outscoring Benedictine University at Springfield 22-2 in its home opener on Friday afternoon, the (RV) William Woods University softball team will look for its third and fourth wins in the American Midwest Conference, as they take on Stephens College on Monday afternoon. First-pitch is set for 3 p.m.
The Owls (13-8; 2-0 AMC), defeated the Bulldogs 8-1 in game one and 14-1 in game two (five innings) behind solid performances at the plate and on the mound.
The offense batted .472 in the doubleheader, with 12 players hitting at least .400, while the duo of
MacKenzie Bowden and
Becca Schemmer held a perfect 0.00 ERA in both games and combined to strike out 16 batters.
With its double header victory, the Owls have now won six out of its last seven games and have outscored its opponents 44-11, including a 25-2 advantage in the first three innings. The pitching has been just as good, as opposing hitters are batting just .165 and have struck out 60 times.
On the season, the offense is being paced by
Lindsey LeCuru, who hit her team leading fourth home run on the season against the Bulldogs. The senior is having a breakout senior season at the dish, batting .400 (26-for-65), with 15 runs scored, 15 RBI and having a slugging percentage of .738.
Before
Lindsey LeCuru's home run in game two, junior
Kacey Scharnhorst broke the game open with a bases clearing triple, which gave her a team-high 16 RBI on the year. The St. Peters, Mo., native, is hitting a solid .333 (18-for-54) on the year, with 12 runs scored, five doubles and has an on-base percentage of .431.
Reigning AMC Player of the Week
Shelby LeCuru holds a .304 batting average (17-for-56), with 12 runs scored and 10 RBI.
On the mound, the trio of Bowden, Schemmer and
Julie Scheer are holding opponents to a .209 batting average and all have an ERA under 3.00 in a combined 21 starts. Bowden, has a 1.62 ERA in 12 appearances (7-4), and has earned a K/BB ratio of 119/20, with the 119 strikeouts being third-best in the NAIA.
Scheer has a 1.95 ERA in three starts, while Schemmer is 4-4 with a 2.58 ERA in 57.0 innings pitched this season and has struck out 37 batters.
The Stars (2-7; 0-2 AMC), are coming off a doubleheader sweep in its AMC opener against No. 4-ranked Williams Baptist College, falling 18-4 in game one and 9-1 in game two.
Through the nine games on the year, the Stephens College is led by Jessica McConnell batting a team-high .500 (12-for-24), with eight runs scored, four RBI and an on-base percentage of .571.
Monica Nakamatsu is another player to keep an eye out for, hitting .440 (11-for-25) and is second on the team in slugging percentage at .640. Katelyn Rush, meanwhile, holds a .333 average (8-for-24) and is tied with Danielle Des Lauriers with five RBI.
On the mound, Rush leads a trio of hurlers with a 7.46 ERA in two starts and is 2-2 on the season in 25 1/3 innings pitched.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and score from Columbia, Mo.
