WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – The William Woods University softball team dropped both games of its doubleheader on Friday afternoon to No. 5 Williams Baptist College. The Lady Eagles took game one, 2-0, and game two, 5-2, over the Owls.
 
The Owls pitching staff limited the Lady Eagles as they only allowed 10 hits for the two games. However, the Lady Eagles were productive with those hits as they scored seven runs. Allison Waskow led the Owls in game one, only allowing two runs on five hits. Ari Arnold hit .400 (2-of-5) in the doubleheader. As a team, the Owls hit .188 in over the doubleheader.
 
WWU returns to action on Saturday, March 18th when they travel to Henderson, Tennessee to face Freed-Hardeman University. First-pitch is set for 2 p.m.
 
Game One
Game Flow
In a pitchers duel, neither teams' offenses could get anything going. The Owls struggled getting the bats going as Laura Helmich kept WWUs bats quiet as she struck out five hitters in the first three innings. During the first three innings, the Owls did not get a runner on base as they were retired in order in each inning.
 
Helmich was not the only pitching keeping the bats quiet as Allison Waskow kept the fifth ranked Lady Eagles bats quiet for much of the contest. Waskow sat the Lady Eagles down in order in the first inning and only allowed one in the second. The Lady Eagles started to slowly collected hits in the third inning after a groundout and a strike out, Williams Baptist collected back to back hits. Waskow ended the Lady Eagles hit strike with a strikeout of h Ashley Lyons.  
 
William Woods got its first hit of the contest when Dacrie Depping singled to the short stop. However, that was the only hit for the Owls in the frame.
 
After another 1-2-3 inning for both teams in the bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth inning, Williams Baptist finally broke onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and a runner on first, Bailey Zini advanced on two wild pitches. She scored on a Madelyn Poe single putting the Lady Eagles ahead 1-0.
 
William Woods looked to be mounting a comeback in the top of the sixth inning as Ari Arnold doubled to right center. After an out, Arnold stole third base and Hannah Campbell was hit by a pitch putting two runners on base. Campbell went and stole second base and on the play, the Lady Eagles caught Arnold off third base and picked her off. The Owls could not get the tying run across the plate.
 
Williams Baptist scored one in the bottom of the sixth inning taking a 2-0 lead over the Owls. WWU came up with three outs to go and WWU could not get anything going as they only collected one hit in the inning and the Owls dropped game one, 2-0.
 
By the Numbers
7 – Allison Waskow struck out seven in the contest
3 – WWU collected three hits in the first game of the doubleheader
1 – Ari Arnold stole one bases in the contest
3 – The Owls had three players with one hit
11 – William Woods struck out 11 times in the loss to the Lady Eagles
1 – Hannah Campbell was hit by one pitch in the contest
 
Starting Pitcher Lines
WWU – Allison Waskow, 6 IP, 5H, 2R (2ER), 1BBs, 7Ks
WBC – Laura Helmich, 7 IP, 3H, 0R (0ER), 0BBs, 11Ks
 
Game Two
Game Flow
In the top of the first inning, Hannah Campbell drew a walk to start off the inning. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Dacrie Depping. However, the next two Owls were retired and the Owls were held scoreless after the first inning of play.
 
The Lady Eagles came out in the bottom of the first with runners on the corner, Brooke Mason came up to the plate. She laid down a bunt that scored Madelyn Poe and putting Williams Baptist ahead, 1-0.
 
The game remained 1-0 in favor of the Lady Eagles until the top of the fourth inning After the first two Owls were retired, Amanda Bouchey hit a home run over the left field fence on her second pitch of the at-bat and tied the game at 1-1.
 
William Woods took the lead in the top of the fifth inning of play. With two outs, Hannah Campbell hit her first home run of the season on the first pitch she saw putting the Owls ahead, 2-1.
 
The Owls lead did not last long as Williams Baptist came back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Williams Baptist scored two runs on one hit in the inning taking the lead at 3-2. The Lady Eagles added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning growing its lead to 5-2 over the Owls.
 
Coming down to their final three outs of the contest, the Owls first hitter flew out to left field. With one out, Arnold singled putting a runner on. The next Owl was retired to bring up Campbell. She reached on a Lady Eagles error and the Owls had runners on the corners. However, the Owls could not get another run across the plate and would drop game two, 5-2, to Williams Baptist.
 
By the Numbers
2 – WWU hit two home runs in the contest
2 – William Woods scored two runs in game two
6 – The Owls had six hits in the contest
6 – William Woods had six players collect a hit
1 – Hannah Campbell drew the lone walk for the Owls
 
Starting Pitcher Lines
WWU – Madison Ausfahl, 5.2 IP, 5H, 5R (5ER), 1BBs, 3Ks
WBC – Rylee Rogers, 7 IP, 6H, 2R (2ER), 1BBs, 5Ks