Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 COLUMBIA, Mo.— The (RV) William Woods University softball team won game one against American Midwest Conference rival Columbia College 4-0, but their five game win streak was snapped in game two, as the Owls fell in a close one 3-2.
William Woods University 4 Columbia College 0
Patience was key for the Owls (16-9; 5-1 AMC), at the plate in the second inning, as
Macy Wierschem and
Alexi Cavins reached base thanks to back-to-back walks by Columbia (10-7; 5-1 AMC) starter Lauren McCroskie.
After a
Megan Cooper single, the bases were loaded up, but McCroskie retired the next Owls batter, however, was not out of the woods yet. Freshman
Hannah Campbell then forced yet another walk, scoring Wierschem, which gave WWU a 1-0 lead at the end two innings of play.
The team extended its lead to 2-0 in the top of the fourth, as Campbell singled to center, scoring pinch-runner
Brittany Bexten from third. Bexten, pinch-ran for
Alexi Cavins, who led the inning off with a single to center as well.
The two-run lead was more than enough for senior hurler
MacKenzie Bowden, who went the distance, allowing no runs on three hits and continued to add to her already staggering strikeout total, ending with 12.
"MacKenzie (Bowden), threw extremely well today," said head coach
Tracy Gastineau. "She has thrown against Columbia for four years now and having seen the same hitters over and over becomes an advantage for the hitter most of the time. So for her to come out and shut them down shows just how well she pitched," she added.
In the top of the sixth,
Caroline Sicht came up with a big pinch-hit single to center, which scored Wierschem, who led the inning off with a walk, to make it 3-0 WWU.
Shelby LeCuru added the fourth and final RBI of the game, with another single, scoring pinch-runner
Sam Parsons and the Owls went on for the four-run victory.
The offense totaled five hits in the game, with Campbell,
Shelby LeCuru, Cavins, Cooper and Sicht each having one-hit in the game, while Campbell led the way with two RBI.
The Cougars offense struggled in game one against Bowden, as Carly Spalding, Marli Hayes and Brittiany Tjarks, totaled one hit a piece.
Columbia College 3 William Woods University 2
In game two, it was the Owls striking again first, as
Lindsey LeCuru singled to center, bringing home her sister
Shelby LeCuru from second, to give WWU a 1-0 advantage.
The one run lead was maintained until the top of the third, as Jamie Holmes led off with a single to center for Columbia, and advanced to second on a stolen base. Owls starter
Becca Schemmer got the next batter to fly out to center, but Holmes was able to move to third on the play.
Then, the Cougars tied the game on a squeeze play, as Hayes successfully put the bunt down, scoring Holmes, which tied the game up 1-1.
The Owls, however, regained the lead in the home half of the third, as
Kacey Scharnhorst hit a two-out double to left-center and scored on
Lindsey LeCuru's single to center, putting WWU up 2-1 after three innings.
The Cougars battled back and tied the game back up at 2-2, as Tjarks singled to left, scoring Howell from second, who led the fourth off with a single. After a scoreless bottom of the fourth for the Owls, Columbia regained the lead for good in the fifth, as Taylor Atwood flied out to right, which scored Carly Spalding from third, to give CC the one-run lead.
Columbia would fend off the Owls the final two innings and take the game-two double header by one run. The Cougars were led by starter Taylor Richter, throwing a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits and struck out five.
Schemmer was handed a tough loss for WWU, throwing five innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Offensively, the Owls were led by
Lindsey LeCuru going 2-for-3 with two RBI, while
Shelby LeCuru and Scharnhorst had one hit each.
The Owls will now travel down to Mobile, Ala., for a tough double-header on Mar. 23
rd, against No. 3-ranked Spring Hill College. First-pitch is set to be thrown at 1 p.m.
"We have tough tests ahead during our spring break trip so we need to focus on regrouping and playing our style of play," said Gastineau.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com this Saturday for a full preview of Sunday's game against Spring Hill.
