Story written by Sports Information Intern Scott Barker
FULTON, Mo— The No. 19-ranked William Woods University softball team earned two wins over the Culver-Stockton Wildcats on Tuesday afternoon, as the team won game one 9-8 (8 innings) and game two, 10-4.
 
"We had three consecutive hits and four total in the 8^th inning and they were all hard hit balls so that was a great thing to see in game one," said head coach Tracy Gastineau on the wins, "In the second game, I felt we sprayed the ball to both sides of the field and that is usually an indication of better contact. We had some really good at-bats today. We still have some things to work on, but this was a much better showing by our team."
 
No. 19 William Woods University 9 Culver-Stockton 8 (8 innings)
In game one, the Owls (7-10), got off to a fast start, as Hannah Campbell walked and then stole second. Sydnae Hatton then moved Campbell over to third on a groundout to second. The next batter Kacey Scharnhorst belted a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall for her first homerun of the season and RBI number eight and nine, which gave WWU a 2-0 lead.
 
The score would remain the same until the top of the third inning, as Kim Myers, got things going with a double to left-center and then advanced to third on a throwing error by the Owls defense.  The next batter Sam Bolin, hit a two-run homerun, after a 13-pitch at-bat, to tie the game at two.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, the Wildcats would break the tie, as Meyers reached first on a walk, Bolin then struck out looking, followed by a Halie Hall double that scored Myers from first and gave C-SC a 3-2 lead. After a fly-out to right field, by Brittni Hagemeier, Addie Stottlemyre singled home Hall to give the Wildcats a 4-2 advantage.
 
The Owls would come back to tie the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning. Scharnhorst led off the inning with a single to centerfield. After a passed ball puts Scharnhorst on second, Emily Murphy doubled her home to cut the deficit in half. With Brittany Bexten, pinch running for Murphy, on second, Macy Wierschem reaches on an error by the left fielder.
 
Bexten then advanced to third on a fly-out to right field by Julie Scheer for the first out. On a 0-1 pitch, Madison McCormick, laid down a suicide squeeze to score Bexten from third and to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings.
 
Per NAIA rules in softball, each team starts off each extra inning play with a runner on second.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Wildcats would score four times. With runners on first and third, Hearn singled on a groundball to third base that would bring home Katie Kroll. After a Myers strikeout, Bolin reached first on a fielder's choice to load the bases and then back-to-back walks the Wildcats took a 7-4 lead. Culver-Stockton would add to the lead after Stottlemyre reached on a fielder's choice scoring Bolin, to make it 8-4.  
 
The Owls, however, would answer right back in the bottom of the eighth, as Brailee Schulte reached base on a fielding error to start the inning. After a Campbell ground out, Hillary Hentges, who pinch-hit for Hatton, singled to right field, sending Schulte to third and scoring Shelby LeCuru, who started the inning off at second base, to put the score at 8-5.
 
Schulte then would be brought home, after Scharnhorst reached on a fielder's choice to cut the lead to 8-6. After back-to-back singles by Murphy and Wierschem, the bases were loaded for Scheer and she came through with a walk off three run triple, to give the Owls a 9-8 victory in game one.
 
Bre Logan started the game on the rubber for the Owls, pitching 7.1 innings, giving up eight runs (seven earned), walking nine and striking out 10.
 
Scheer, meanwhile, came on in relief and picked up the win pitching 0.2 innings, retiring both batters she faced. The loss went to the Wildcats starter Sam Bolin who pitched 7.2 innings, giving up nine runs, three earned, walking three and striking out three.
 
William Woods 10 Culver-Stockton 4
In game two, it was Culver-Stockton getting off to the fast start in the first inning, as Myers smashed a two-run homer over the left field wall, to give the Wildcats an early advantage.  
 
In the bottom of the second inning, the Owls would tie the game back up, as Schulte and LeCuru would reach base on a single and double, putting runners on second and third.
 
Senior Sam Parsons then lined a single to left, scoring Schulte, to make it 2-1. Campbell then would come to the plate and ground out, but in the process, LeCuru scored from third and tied the game up at 2-2.
 
The Owls would answer again in the bottom of the third, as after two one-out walks to Murphy and Wierschem, Sicht doubled to right-center scoring Murphy and Wierschem, to give WWU a 4-2 lead.
 
Sicht would then advance to third on a passed ball and score on a throwing error by the right fielder to give the Owls the 5-2 advantage.
 
WWU would score five more times in the bottom of the fourth highlighted by Sicht's three-run double scoring Murphy, Scharnhorst, and Hatton. Schulte would follow with an RBI double to give the Owls a 9-4 lead and she would later score on a single by Parsons, to push the teams' lead to 10-4.
 
The Wildcats would score two runs in the top of the 5^th, but would get no closer as the Owls finish off the doubleheader sweep, winning by six.
 
Allison Waskow earned the win giving up four runs, all earned, while striking out 10 and walking two. The loss went to Megan Creek, who gave up 10 earned runs in 6.0 innings pitched, walking six and striking out one.
 
The Owls will be back in action on March 13, as they have a doubleheader scheduled with Missouri Baptist University. First-pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com Thursday afternoon for a full preview of Friday's action.

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