MOBILE, Ala.—The (RV) William Woods University softball team will look to snap its three-game losing skid, as the Owls take on the (RV) University of Mobile on Tuesday night. First-pitch will be thrown at 4:00 p.m.
The Owls (16-11; 5-1 AMC), are coming off two tough losses against No. 3-ranked Spring Hill, falling in game one 1-0 (8 innings) and game two 2-0. The team got quality pitching outings from its seniors
MacKenzie Bowden and
Becca Schemmer, as Bowden allowed just one run (zero earned) on six hits and struck out nine Badgers in game one, while Schemmer allowed two runs on three hits and struck out four in the nightcap.
The offense, however, couldn't get anything going against Spring Hill's ace Caroline Sagrera who shut down the Owls in both games, combining to throw 15.0 innings of shutout ball, allowing just three hits and struck out 19 batters.
Before having its five game winning streak snapped against Columbia, the Owls outscored its opponents 47-2, but since then, the team has managed two runs on six hits the last three games.
Still, the Owls have won five out of its last eight games, batting .316 as a team and having a hitting advantage of 66-28.
Caroline Sicht has upped her season average to .294, after batting .455 (5-for-11) with four RBI the past eight games, while
Beth Begemann has also been a threat at the plate, batting .438 (7-for-16) with four runs scored, one home run and four RBI.
Leading RBI hitter
Kacey Scharnhorst, has brought home eight in a 10-day span, while batting .333 (7-for-21) and scored a team-high six runs.
Pitching has been the story, however, especially as of late, as
Julie Scheer, Bowden and Schemmer all have an ERA under 1.60 the past eight games, allowing just eight runs (four earned) in 49 1/3 innings and opponents are batting just .162 against the trio.
Bowden continues to put up astounding numbers each time she takes the mound, as the Hartsburg, Mo., native has tallied 46 strikeouts in her last 26 1/3 innings, going 3-1 and having a perfect 0.00 ERA. Those stellar statistics have lowered her season ERA to 1.26 in 88 2/3 innings, while she also has totaled 151 strikeouts, which is third-best in the NAIA and first in the American Midwest Conference.
The Lady Rams (13-11; 6-2 Southern States Athletic Conference), are coming off a doubleheader sweep against No. 8-ranked Belhaven University, winning game one 6-4 and game two 7-5. Prior to its games against Belhaven, the team went 1-1 against No. 13-ranked William Carey University, taking game one 3-0, before falling in game two 7-3.
On the season, the team olds a .278 average, led by Anna Blake Barnette, batting .373 (31-for-83) in 24 games, scoring a team-high 18 runs, while also hitting six doubles and totaling 13 RBI. Jessica Rogers and Emily Vickrey are both hitting .329, combining for 48 hits, 13 runs scored and 18 RBI.
The power in the order comes for Jordan Coleman, who has a .292 average, with 12 runs scored, and leads the team in home runs (3), RBI (14) and slugging percentage (.486).
On the hill, Mackensie Williams has a 4-5 record to go along with her team-best 2.79 ERA in 13 appearances, while Alyssa Kornegay leads the team with a 9-6 record, totaling 11 complete games in 97 2/3 innings and has totaled 61 strikeouts.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow evening for a full recap and scores from Mobile, Ala.
