Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ST. CHARLES, Mo.— Solid pitching performances by
Julie Scheer and
MacKenzie Bowden led the (RV) William Woods University softball team to a 5-0 victory over Roosevelt University in game one and a 6-1 win over host Lindenwood University-Belleville in game two.
William Woods University 5 Roosevelt University 0
After three scoreless innings, the Owls (10-7) got on the board in the top of the fourth, as
Shelby LeCuru led the inning off with a single, and she was able to advance to second base after a sacrifice bunt by
Kacey Scharnhorst.
Then,
Lindsey LeCuru brought her sister home with what turned out to be the winning run from second, with a triple to left-center and put the Owls ahead 1-0 after four innings of play.
In the top of the fifth,
Grace Fritz hit a two-out double to center and she scored
Hannah Campbell on a Roosevelt defensive error, which extended the teams lead to 2-0. The WWU offense, then put the game away in the top of the seventh scoring three runs on three hits, with Campbell and
Shelby LeCuru (2) having the RBI in the inning and the Owls were able to go on for the five run victory.
After two tough games yesterday for both
MacKenzie Bowden and
Becca Schemmer, the duo was able to rest thanks to
Julie Scheer who pitched an outstanding game, throwing a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and struck out three for her second victory on the season.
The offense totaled seven hits in the game, with
Shelby LeCuru,
Lindsey LeCuru and
Grace Fritz each totaling two in the game. Campbell and
Shelby LeCuru led the team in the RBI department, bringing home two each.
"What I saw from Julie (Scheer) today, is what I saw from her in the fall," said head coach
Tracy Gastineau. "It was great to see her pitch very well for us."
William Woods University 6 Lindenwood-Belleville 1
It was the Owls striking first again in game two against Lindenwood-Belleville (7-9-1), as in the bottom of the first,
Lindsey LeCuru hit a two-out single to right, scoring her sister Shelby, who reached base earlier in the inning with a double to left field.
In the bottom of the third, Campbell led the inning off with a walk and during
Shelby LeCuru's at-bat, she stole second.
Shelby LeCuru was then also walked by Lady Lynx starter Michelle Pilster and the duo was able to advance to second and third, after a sacrifice bunt by Scharnhorst.
Lindsey LeCuru was intentionally walked for freshman
Beth Begemann, and the Ashland, Mo., native made the Lady Lynx pay with a bases clearing double to left, which gave WWU plenty of breathing room at 4-0 after three innings of play.
The Lady Lynx were finally able to get on the board against hurler Bowden, scoring once in the top of the fifth, but were shutdown from then on, as the Owls offense added another run in the fifth and the sixth, going on for the five run victory.
"It was good to get a win against a Lindenwood-Belleville team that will be entering the AMC next year," said Gastineau. "They are a good team, who have a lot of depth on their roster, so it was nice to see us come away with an important win."
Bowden absolutely dominated the Lady Lynx lineup right from the start, striking out seven of the nine batters to start the game and ended up tying her season-high in strikeouts with 14 in her complete game outing.
"MacKenzie (Bowden) was fantastic all game tonight," said Gastineau. "It was really impressive how she dominated their lineup especially the first time through," she added.
On offense, the Owls totaled seven hits, with
Shelby LeCuru continuing to swing the hot bat, going 2-for-2 with three runs scored. The sophomore closed out the weekend batting .700 (7-for-10) with five runs scored, one double, two triples, six RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.200.
Begemann went 1-for-3 in the game, but her three run double in the third, was a game changer for the Owls. Scharnhorst,
Lindsey LeCuru and
Megan Cooper were the other Owls to finish with one RBI in the game.
"Offensively we came up with the big hits," said Gastineau. "Shelby (LeCuru) saw the ball well all weekend and it was great to see us get production from up-and-down our lineup," she added.
The Owls don't get to rest too long, as they will now hit the road to Baldwin City, Kan., and pay a visit to Baker University on Tuesday Mar. 11
th. First-pitch for the game one doubleheader is set to be thrown at 1 p.m.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com throughout the 2014 season for full previews and recaps on the softball team.
