COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The William Woods University baseball team allowed a season-high four home runs, as they were defeated by Central Methodist University, 13-8, at Hickman High School Field on Sunday afternoon.

William Woods (12-3) allowed a three-run home run in the first, followed by a trio of two-run shots in the fourth, sixth, and ninth innings to help Central Methodist (5-5) hand the Owls a five-run defeat. WWU also played long ball on the day, as Zach Nichols and Matt Thomas each went yard. There were a combined six home runs in the nine inning game.

Garret Haslag got the loss for William Woods, as the righty allowed five runs in three innings. Haslag allowed a pair of home runs on the day, as Hayden McMillon tagged him with a  three-run shot in the first to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Then in the fourth Kyle Poynter broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run homer to end the starter's day.

WWU allowed a season-high 13 runs in the loss, as they used eight pitchers to get through the nine inning affair.    

"We didn't pitch very well today, and the fact that the park played small today did not help us out," said Head Coach Darren Munns. "We didn't keep the ball down in the zone today, and with the wind blowing out you cannot leave pitches belt high. Credit Central Methodist, they have a bunch of really good hitters over there, but we didn't' pitch well enough to win today."

The four home runs giving up by the Owls today was a season-high, as they had allowed just one dinger in their previous 14 games this season.

Austin Clapp, Tyler Nemmers, and Thomas each collected two hits on the day to lead the WWU offense. Nemmers drove in a pair of runs, while Thomas went 2-for-5 with a home run. It was a spectacular four-game week for Thomas, as he hit .555 (10-of-18) with two home runs and 11 RBI's.

"Matt is finally getting into a good rhythm," said Munns of the lefty. "It takes hitters a couple of games to get adjusted to live pitching, and he has made that adjustment. Matt has been a middle-of-the-order hitter throughout his career, so it is no surprise to me that he had the kind of weekend he had. We are counting on him to have that kind of production if we are to be a team that scores a bunch of runs."

Nichols drove in a team-high three RBI's on the day, thanks to his three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth. It was the first home run of the year for the leftfielder, and the three runs driven in extends his team lead in that category, as he has 19 RBI's on the year.

"Zach is the same as Matt. He is a middle-of-the-order player, and he is also a complete hitter. He can hit the ball all over the field with power, and just like Matt, we are counting on Zach to be a run producer for us all year."

After getting the first two batters of the first inning, Garret Haslag allowed back-to-back Central Methodist hits to put runners on second and first. Haslag's third straight hit was a costly one, as he allowed a three-run home run to dead centerfield to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.

The Owls were able to get a run back in the second inning with a Nemmer's dribbler through the hole at short that allowed Matt Thomas to score. WWU drew even in its half of the third, as a pair of CMU errors allowed Javier Ledesma and Zach Nichols to score.

The Eagles reclaimed the lead in the next half inning, with a two-run homer by Poynter and a T.J. Singh single. A five-run sixth inning, highlighted by a Singh two-run shot, helped Central Methodist take a commanding 11-3 lead.

William Woods tacked on a run in the bottom half of the sixth and eighth innings, but CMU would get those runs back in the ninth, thanks to a McMillion's second home run of the day to give his team a 13-5 advantage.

Nichols blasted a three-run shot over the centerfield wall in the bottom of the ninth, but that WWU rally would end there, as they fell 13-8.

The Owls will return to action on Wednesday night, as they will host Culver-Stockton College at Owls Field. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

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

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