FULTON, Mo. – The (RV) William Woods University baseball team was able to get two wins on the day against Avila University, as the Owls took the season series, sweeping the Eagles 3-0 and extending its win streak up to three games.
William Woods (28-9; 13-6 AMC), took game one 6-5, that was resumed from the earlier meeting in the season between both teams, which was picked up in the top the 7
th tied 5-5. Then capture the 4-0 victory in game two over Avila University.
Game One William Woods 6 Avila University 5 Back on March 31
st, Avila was able to take the early 3-0 lead, as they were able to score in the first inning. However WWU would get one run of those runs back in the top of the second and third inning, making the score 4-2 still in the Eagles favor. Then the Owls would have a big sixth inning, plating three runs on three hits, to take the lead 5-4 over Avila. The Eagles went on to score one run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game, right before the game got called due to darkness.
With the Owls out hitting the Eagles 10-8,
Javier Ledesma started the game right where it was left off in the top of the 7
th, as the senior drew a walk but however was caught stealing second base. Then with two outs catcher
Grant Garrett came up to the plate, hitting a shot over the left-center field fence, as the solo home run gave the Owls the one run lead, 6-5.
Closer
James Ball and the defense held off Avila University in their half of inning, by retiring the Eagles and capturing the 6-5 victory.
Nick Spagnola,
Dustin Kremer and Garrett all collected a pair of hits in the game, as Garrett's second hit went down as his second home run on the season and counted for the Owls winning run.
Cody Stewart went 1-for-4 from the plate and plated three RBI's.
Game Two William Woods 4 Avila University 0 It was the Owls who struck first in the bottom of the first inning after taking advantage of two errors from the Eagles. Spagnola would reach on a miss played grounder and then was moved up 90 feet of a single from
Cody Stewart, putting a runner in scoring position for WWU. In the next at bat, Spagnola would collect his 14
th stolen base on the year and with a wild throw trying to catch Spagnola at third would go into the outfield, Spagnola would cross the plate giving the Owls the early 1-0 lead.
Shortly after, the Owls would add another run on the board, after back-to-back singles from
Larry Price and Spagnola, while a sacrifice fly to center field from the bat of Stewart would make the Owls lead 2-0 in the third
The Owls offense was not done for the night, as WWU would extend its lead in the bottom of the sixth and then added an insurance run in the seventh.
Patrick Dillion got the Owls going in the seventh with a double down the left field line and then advanced to third on a Balk from Eagles pitcher Zachery Sargert, putting him 90 feet away from home plate. The Owls next batter,
Larry Price, laid down a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt, plating Dillion and pushing the Owls advantage to 4-0.
Ball returned to the mound in the top of the ninth to put game two away, as the senior got a lead off fly out and then retired the last two Eagles by himself by recording two strikeouts, securing the Owls 4-0 shutout in game two.
Stewart and Spagnola remained hot from the plate as both seniors tallied a pair of hits, and a stolen base, while Stewart recorded his 35
th RBI on the season. Price, Kremer,
Austin Clapp and Dillion also collected a hit in the match-up.
The Owls had huge success from its bullpen to be a key impact in the shut out,
Kyle Marburger got the start and recorded his first win on the season, as the junior pitched five score less innings, giving up just one hit, only three walks, while striking out four batters.
Ryan Yuengel relieved Marburger, as the senior struck out three batters, allowed two hits in his two innings of work, before WWU brought in
Dylan Hastings and Ball to close the game, as both pitched hit less innings and struck out two batters in their one inning performance in game two.
The Eagles only nabbed three hits off of the Owls in game two, coming from the bats of Brandon Chandler, Anthony Brown and Anthony Biondo, as Eric Smith suffered the loss on the rubber.
With these two wins it will give the Owls momentum heading into a key weekend series against AMC foe Benedictine University at Springfield beginning on Friday afternoon, in the hunt for the regular season title.
Fans check later this week for a preview of this home weekend series against the Bulldogs.
