FULTON, Mo.- To close out the AMC regular season play, William Woods (28-20, 20-16 AMC) hosted #20 Missouri Baptist (37-9, 31-5) for a four-game set at Backer Sports Complex. The Spartans, who have one of the highest rated offenses in the nation, took two wins on day one and swept day two, scoring 30 runs in the double-header.
To open the day the Spartans scored 11 runs in game one, defeating the Owls 11-3 in the seven-inning contest. The three runs that Woods scored all come across in the bottom of the third inning. Colby Caton launched his fifth home run of the season to get the Owls on the board. Two hitters later, Jacob McWhirter singled on a line drive to centerfield setting up the offense again. The designated hitter, Cade Irwin, delivered with a double off the wall in right field to score McWhirter. The final run in the inning game on an RBI single off the bat of leftfielder Jude Gremillion, tying the game at three runs after three innings. The Missouri Baptist bullpen was able to keep the Owls off the board for the remainder of the contest while their potent offense scored eight more runs carrying them to the win.
In game two, the Owls plated seven runs on 13 hits in the 19-7 loss. The Spartans grabbed the lead early scoring two runs in the first inning. Woods responded in the bottom of the second inning, after keeping Missouri Baptist off the board in the frame, scoring four runs and taking the lead. With the bases loaded, Ryan Retone hit into a fielder's choice that score Jackson Kirn who reached on a base hit to right to lead off the inning. Kaden Kinsler's double down the line in right field scored another run for Woods as Justin Dameron's courtesy runner Vincent Pyeatt came around to score on the play. With Owls' slugger McWhirter at the plate, a wild pitch from the mound brought two runs around to score with Retone and Kinsler both taking advantage of the errant pitch.
Despite taking the lead, Woods went on to surrender nine unanswered runs before putting up a three-spot in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to four runs (11-7). This time around, Kirn ignited the offense on a one-out, solo-shot to deep left field. True freshman Cam Casso's double into left field brought in the Owls sixth run of the contest in Pyeatt in was again in to run for catcher, Dameron. With the speedy Casso at second, Retone worked the count to catch a 1-1 fastball for a base hit into right field that plated the Owls seventh run. With the lead cut to four, Missouri Baptist scored eight runs between the sixth and seventh innings to win game two 19-7.
The Owls are back in action next week at the American Midwest Conference Tournament where they look to shock the country and win the AMC Conference title over nationally ranked opponents Missouri Baptist University and Columbia College.
