OLATHE, Kan.—The William Woods University softball team returns to the diamond on Tuesday afternoon, as the Owls travel to MidAmerica Nazarene University for a doubleheader. First-pitch will be thrown at 3 p.m.
The Owls (14-13; 4-0 AMC), are coming off a 1-1 showing against Southeastern University back on March 25
th, as the team won game one 2-0, but fell in heartbreaking fashion in game two, as Southeastern scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh, capped off by a two run walk off home run for the 7-6 win.
Despite the loss, the team has won three out of its last four games, the offense is batting .260, while the pitching staff has an ERA of 2.78.
Offensively, the team has been led by
Emily Murphy's .700 average (7-for-10), with one run scored, one double, one triple and five RBI. Senior
Kacey Scharnhorst is four for her last 12 at the dish and has driven in four RBI, while
Shelby LeCuru is hitting .300 (3-for-10), with two runs scored. On the mound,
Allison Waskow and
Bre Logan have continued to have strong outings, as the in the Owls last four games, the duo have only giving up 11 runs on 25 hits, while collecting 21 strikeouts and holding its opponents to a .234 batting average.
On the season, Murphy is pacing the way for the Owls, hitting .426 from the plate, amassing 29 hits and eight doubles, while four other Owls are hitting over .300 from the plate. Scharnhorst has also been a key impact offensively, as the three-hole hitter is leading WWU with 22 RBI's on the year. On the mound, Waskow has earned an ERA of 2.87 , collecting seven wins and 76 strikeouts, as she has giving up 47 runs on 78 hits in 85.1 innings of work. Logan has earned an ERA of 3.45 in 71.0 innings pitched, totaling five wins on the season, while recording 61 strikeouts and holding opponents to .227 batting average.
MNU is currently 9-20 on the season and still looking for its first win in the Heart of American Athletic Conference (HAAC). The Pioneers are on a five game skid, as the team dropped a doubleheader to Central Methodist University in its last outing, this past Saturday.
Offensively, the Pioneers have been paced by Alexis Pacheco on the season, as she is hitting .394 from the plate, totaling 37 hits and nabbing a team-high 14 stolen bases. Maci Jones will be a player the Owls will have to keep an eye on, as she has collected 31 hits in 80 at bats, while Hayley Gately has plated a team-high 22 RBI's on the year. On the mound, the duo of Taylor Pearcy and Megan Schwindler have hurled a combined ERA of 5.37, recording 101 strikeouts in 183.2 innings of work.
The Pioneers and Owls have meet earlier this season in a tournament, as WWU defeated MNU 9-2, scoring the nine runs on 12 hits. Murphey led William Woods going 3-for-4 on the day from the plate, as
Hannah Campbell,
Macy Wierschem, Scharnhorst and Sicht each collected a pair of hits in the victory.
Fans check back on wwuowls.com tomorrow evening for a full recap and scores of the doubleheader from Olathe, Kansas.Â
