FULTON, Mo. - After moving the contest up a day to avoid a chilly weather forecast, William Woods (3-2) brought the heat on offense, earning a doubleheader sweep over Westminster College (0-2) on Friday. The Owls breezed through game one with a 12-4, five-inning win then buckled down to earn a 6-0 win in game two.
Woods got off to a bit of a messy start, as Emily Esquivel led off with a single for Westminster then Kelsey Logan reached base on a catcher's interference call as
Ally Mahoney was set up a couple inches too close to the plate and made contact with Logan's bat on the swing follow-through. Both Blue Jay runners were able to score in the inning.
The Owls needed little time to post a response, putting its first two batters aboard -
Jessica Keilholz drawing a hit-by-pitch and
Sydney Wilbeck drawing a walk - then loading the bases with a one-out single by
Iliana Manzano.
Mahoney blasted a single through the legs of Westminster's third baseman to score Keilholz and Wilbeck. Manzano tried to take advantage of the close play at the plate but was thrown out at third.
After holding Westminster scoreless in the top of the inning, WWU added two runs in the second on a bases-loaded walk and HBP. Another bases-loaded walk plated
Arianna Donovan in the bottom of the third, answering a Westminster tally in the top of the frame.
Rylee Hagens pushed another pair of Woods run across as she reached on an error.
The Blue Jays mustered another run in the top of the fourth, but William Woods blew the game open with a five-run bottom frame.
Brooke Lopez came in for the top of the fifth and made quick work of the Blue Jays, retiring the side in order.
Grad transfer
Micaiah Cordell owned the nightcap for William Woods, holding Westminster to just two hits over 5.1 innings of work, striking out five and needing just 66 pitches.
Keilholz continued to shine in the top of the Owls lineup, going 3-4 with a pair of RBIs as WWU blew the game open with a four-run second inning then added insurance runs in the fourth and fifth.
William Woods heads west for its next doubleheader, taking on University of Saint Mary on Feb. 17. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
