COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Senior pitcher Dane Smith tossed seven innings of one-hit ball to help the William Woods University baseball team collect an 11-0 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University in its 2014 American Midwest Conference season-opener on Thursday afternoon.  

Smith tossed his third complete game in four starts this season, to help William Woods (11-1, 1-0 AMC) pick up its sixth straight win. The righty went seven innings and gave up just one hit to Hannibal-LaGrange (4-10-1, 1-0 AMC). The Halls, Tenn., native had complete command of the strike zone on the afternoon, as he did not allow a single walk and struck out six batters in the victory.

"Today's win all steams from the pitching and catching," said Head Coach Darren Munns. "The rhythm of the game was dictated by that today. Derek Fletcher does a great job with our staff, and he really handled Dane well today. Dane deserves all the credit, he has been steady for us all season, and today was no different. He works a good pace, throws strikes, and really competes as hard as he can."

With the win, Smith improves to 4-0 on the year. The righty has been tough to score on all season, as he holds a 0.67 ERA. The senior has now throw back-to-back complete games, and has given up just three combined hits in his last two outings.

"He is really pitching similar to last season," said Munns of his righty. "He kept us in a lot of ball games, however, we were unable to get a lot runs for him. He has gotten a lot better since last season. He has great stuff on the mound. He can throw strikes and make the ball go three different directions which keeps hitters honest."

William Woods picked up 11 runs on 12 hits against a trio of Trojan pitchers. The 12 hits matches a season-high total in a single game, and is the second straight contest the Owls offense has posted a dozen base knocks.

Sam Moon and Matt Thomas each slugged a home run in the win, as the seniors each blasted a solo shot on the day. For Moon, it was his second dinger of the year, while it was Thomas' first homer on the young season.

Thomas' home run capped off an impressive day at the plate for the right fielder, as he went 4-for-5 with four RBI's. Cody Stewart was the only other WWU player to collect multiple hits on the afternoon by going 2-for-3 and driving in a pair of runs.

Munns was very pleased with his offensive production in his team's AMC season-opener, and credits his squad for being able to work deep into the count.

"I thought we did a great job getting deep into the counts and really making Hannibal's starter work. The home runs are an added bonus, but I thought our team took excellent at-bats and really put a lot of pitches on a good starting pitcher."

The three-game series wraps up tomorrow morning with a doubleheader at Columbia Hickman High School. First pitch is slated for 10 a.m.

Check back with wwuowls.com for a recap of every game during the 2014 season.