FULTON, Mo. – The (RV) William Woods University baseball team returns home after splitting a doubleheader on the road with Park University earlier this week to take on Hannibal-LaGrange University in a three game weekend series. The first game from Owls Field is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start on Friday afternoon and will conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
The Owls (24-8; 11-5 AMC), were able to return home after a doubleheader split on its most recent road trip. WWU fell in the first game 4-1 to Park University and then bounced back in game two to collect the 13-8 victory over the Pirates.
Park was able to score four early runs in the third inning of game one, as Victor Claudio hit a three run home run to put the Pirates up 4-0. The score remained the same until the top of the seventh, as the Owls had been shut out up to the teams last three outs of the game. With two outs,
Konrad Kemper recorded his first home run on the season with a shot over left field fence, putting the first run on the board for the Owls and keeping the team alive. However, that would be as close as WWU would get to the Pirates, as Park went on to secure the 4-1 victory.
Larry Price would pace the Owls offensively, as the left fielder collected two hits, while three other Owls recorded a hit, coming from the bats of Spagnola,Â
Javier Ledesma and Kemper. Designated hitter, Kemper would plate the lone RBI for the Owls with his solo home run.
In game two the Owls were able to pick up the equalizing game scoring 13 runs on 13 hits, as two players collected home runs and the team plated seven runs in the top of the eighth.
Kemper, a Mokane, Missouri native, continued to stay hot at the plate, going 3-for-4, as one of those hits was his second home run of the day, along with his first grand slam of the year while he collected a team-high five RBI's and scoring two runs.
Cody Stewart,
Dustin Kremer and
Austin Clapp each totaled a pair of hits in the game, as Clapp recorded three RBI's. On the mound,
Ryan Yuengel collected his fifth win on the season, while
James Ball recorded the save, as the senior allowed five runs on six hits and struck out four batters in 3.2 innings of work.
On the season, the offense has been one of the key reasons for the WWU's success, as the team are fourth for the highest batting average in the conference at .302, while Hannibal-LaGrange is right behind the Owls batting .285 as a team.
Nick Spagnola, still holds the team lead in batting average with his .360 clip, as the senior has recorded a team-high 45 hits from his bat and swiped 12 stolen bases out of his 16 attempts on the season.
Austin Clapp is another senior having a stellar year, as the third baseman is hitting .345 from the dish, while plating 22 RBI's, which is second on the team. Clapp has also collected a team-high seven doubles on the year. Stewart, the Temecula, California native now leads the team with his 23 RBI's on the season and the speedy center fielder ties Spagnola with a team-high 12 stolen bases on the year.
On the pitching mound, William Woods is having just as much success as they are at the plate. The team holds a staff ERA of 2.22, which is first in the AMC and third best in the nation. On the season, the staff is holding opponents to a .207 batting average, which is also first in the league and is second-best in the nation.
Ball, leads the team in terms of ERA with his 1.77 mark and 50 strikeouts on the year. The senior, who was named the AMC Pitcher of the Week has allowed just 17 runs off 31 hits in his 45.2 innings of work, while recording five wins and saves throughout this season.
John Cavness comes into this weekend as one of the team's best starting pitcher, as he is 5-1 with a 2.51 ERA in eight starts.
Hannibal-LaGrange University is currently 14-21 on the year, with a 7-11 record in AMC play. The Trojans are coming off a three game skid against Benedictine University at Springfield, dropping the series as the Bulldogs outscored HLG 29-12 in the three games.
Drew Morecraft leads the Trojans with a .371 batting average, as he has collected a team-high 46 hits on the season and plated 28 RBI's. Edwin Dominguez is second on the team batting .354 from the dish, recording 40 hits, while leading the team with 29 RBI's. On the rubber, HLG has earned a staff ERA of 6.32, as Brandon Kutrubs leads the pitching staff with his 3.16 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 37.0 innings of work. Â
William Woods currently trail Freed-Hardeman University for first place standings in the American Midwest Conference by 0.5 games coming into this weekend play. The Owls are in a tie with No. 7 ranked Missouri Baptist University for second in the conference, as both teams are 11-5 through 16 sixteen games.
Fans check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap and scored of all of this weekend's action.Â
