Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.— The No. 2 seeded William Woods University softball team defeated the No. 4 seed Huntington University 9-1 (6 innings) in game one, but saw its 2014 season come to a close in heartbreaking fashion in the nightcap, as No. 3 seed Davenport University fended off the Owls 16-15 (8 innings).
William Woods University 9 Huntington University 1 (6 innings)In the bottom of the second,
Emily Murphy extended her hitting streak to 14-games with a leadoff double to start the inning. After a sacrifice bunt by
Macy Wierschem, which moved Murphy on over to third,
Caroline Sicht brought her home with a single through the hole at short to give the Owls (40-17) a 1-0 lead.
After Huntington (31-23) tied the game up at 1-1 in the top of the third, the Owls regained the advantage at 2-1 in the home half of the fourth, as
Hannah Campbell hit a two-out single to left, scoring Wierschem, who led the inning off with a walk.
The offense continued to roll in the fifth, as the team scored two runs on four hits, getting RBI from Murphy and Wierschem and now WWU was up 4-1.
The Owls put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, as
Sydnae Hatton led the inning off with a walk and she advanced to third on Campbell's double to left-center.
Shelby LeCuru then reached base on an error, which allowed Hatton and Campbell to score and put WWU up 6-1.
Kacey Scharnhorst and
Lindsey LeCuru hit back-to-back singles, which loaded up the bases for Murphy, who already had two RBI on the day. Murphy forced a walk, scoring
Shelby LeCuru, to make it 7-1. Wierschem sparked the mercy rule, as she doubled to right-center field, scoring Scharnhorst and
Lindsey LeCuru to end the game, as the Owls won by eight runs.
The offense, which was limited to four hits yesterday, spread out 13 on the day, with five players having at least two hits. Scharnhorst went a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish with one run scored, while Wierschem was the leading RBI getter, totaling three to go along with her 2-for-2 day at the plate with one run scored.
Campbell,
Lindsey LeCuru and Murphy also each added two hits, with Murphy totaling two RBI and Campbell adding one.
On the mound, senior
Becca Schemmer went the distance, allowing one run (zero earned) on three hits and struck out two Foresters to pick up her 13
th win on the season.
Davenport University 16 William Woods University 15 (8 innings) In their previous meeting on Monday, the Panthers and Owls combined for six runs, seven hits and three errors, as Davenport won 4-2.
This time around, in a game where the winner goes to the championship against the No. 1 seed Olivet Nazarene, both teams gave everything they had and then some, as there were a combined 31 runs scored, 27 hits and nine errors.
Davenport jumped on the Owls in the top of the first, scoring four runs on two hits and capped it all off with a solo home run from Paige Sant'Angelo, to take a 4-0 lead.
The Owls, however, were not bothered by the early deficit, as
Shelby LeCuru got things started with a one out double down the left field line. After Scharnhorst reached on a walk,
Lindsey LeCuru singled, scoring her sister Shelby, to give WWU its first run.
The team wasn't done there, as after Murphy singled up the middle to load up the bases, starter Emily Maves got the next batter to pop-out. Maves, however, walked
Alexi Cavins, which scored Scharnhorst and at the end of the first, the Owls were down 4-2.
In the bottom of the second, Campbell and
Shelby LeCuru both reached base due to Panther defensive errors. Scharnhorst then came to the plate and made them pay, as she smashed her first home run of the Opening Round over the right field wall, to give WWU a 5-4 lead.
That lead, however, did not last too long, as the Panthers scored three runs on four hits in the top of the third and took the lead back 7-4 over WWU, while also chasing starter
MacKenzie Bowden from the game. The Owls would get one of those runs back in the bottom of the third, as Hatton hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Wierschem to make it 7-5 after three innings.
Schemmer, who picked up a victory in the previous game, couldn't slow down the Panther offense either, as they scored two more runs on two hits in the top of the fourth and gained some breathing room with a 9-6 lead.
After a shocking scoreless fifth inning for both teams, Davenport scored five runs on three hits and were helped out by two WWU defensive errors and took what they thought was a commanding 14-6 lead in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Campbell reached base on another single and she advanced to second on a forced walk by
Shelby LeCuru. Scharnhorst then brought life back to the WWU bench and its fans, as she hit the 1-2 offering from Maves over the left field wall this time around, giving her a career-high six RBI on the day and her first career multi home run game.
After Bowden, who came back on in relief of Schemmer, worked a scoreless seventh inning, the fireworks continued for the Owls in the home of the inning.
Cavins started the bottom of the seventh off with a walk and she was followed up by
Caroline Sicht hitting a single into shallow left field.
Alyssa Eastman then came on in relief of Maves and she allowed hit to Hatton through the hole at short, which loaded up the bases up for Campbell. The freshman reached base on a fielder's choice, but pinch-runner
Brailee Schulte was forced out at the plate.
Shelby LeCuru then cut the lead down to 14-11, with a single to center, scoring Sicht and Hatton. After a walk to Scharnhorst,
Lindsey LeCuru added another single to left, scoring Campbell, to make it 14-12 on the scoreboard and still only one out.
Murphy then reached base on a fielder's choice, but in the process,
Shelby LeCuru scored from third and now WWU was only down 14-13, after being down by eight in the previous inning.
With two outs, Wierschem kept the inning alive with a single through the hole at short, which loaded up the bases for Schulte, who was making her first plate appearance at the Opening Round.
Schulte, came up big time for the Owls, as she worked a bases loaded walk, scoring
Lindsey LeCuru and more importantly tying the game up at 14-14. The Owls had a chance to win the game, but Eastman got Sicht to ground out to end the inning, however, the damage was done and all the momentum was all on the William Woods side.
In the top of the eighth, Carli SanMillian led the inning off with a walk, but Bowden got the next two batters on a strike out and a pop-out. She looked to finish off the Panthers, but Amber Getty had other plans, as prior to the at-bat, Getty was 0-for-5, but her lone hit in the game was a big one, as she hit Bowden's 2-2 pitch over the right field wall and give the Panthers a 16-14 advantage.
In the bottom of the eighth, Hatton led off with an infield single. After a strikeout, Hatton advanced to second on a wild pitch by Eastman during
Shelby LeCuru's at-bat. The sophomore grounded out to short for the second out of the inning, but Hatton was able to advance to third.
Scharnhorst could have tied the game with one swing of the bat, but the Panthers wanted no part her, as she was intentionally walked for
Lindsey LeCuru. The senior hit the second infield single in the inning, scoring Hatton and made the score 16-15, with the tying run on second and the winning run on first.
Murphy then was up next and she put the ball in play, but the Panther defense got a force out at third base, which ended the game with Davenport winning 16-15.
The Owls offense totaled 15 hits in the game and were led by Scharnhorst, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two home runs and six RBI.
Lindsey LeCuru also had an impressive day at the plate, going 3-for-6 with one run scored and three RBI.
Shelby LeCuru, Murphy, Sicht and Hatton each added two hits in the game.
Bowden took the tough loss on the rubber, throwing five innings, allowing eight runs on five hits and struck out nine. In three innings of relief work, Schemmer allowed eight runs (five earned) on seven hits and struck out one.
The Owls had a fantastic 2014 season, as they yet again eclipsed the 40 win mark, while also winning the most conference games in program history (20). The team took home its first American Midwest Conference regular season title since 2009 and won consecutive AMC Tournament titles. Also, numerous players broke and set individual records on the year at the plate and on the mound.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com for a recap on the softball season.
