FULTON, Mo.- William Woods Softball (10-11, 4-2 Heart) hosted #13 Grand View University (17-10, 6-2 Heart) for a windy Hear of America Athletic Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. After dropping game one, the Owls rode a strong pitching performance from Taylor Baumhoer to a 3-2 victory.
In game one, the Owl held one of the top offenses in the NAIA to only one run through five innings. However, the Vikings exploded in the sixth inning as they scored seven runs in the frame. William Woods would fail to crack the runs column as they fall short in game one by a score of eight to nil.
Game two unfolded much differently for the Owls. William Woods opened by holding the Vikings scoreless in the top half, then came to the plate ready to capitalize. Lexi Lewis led off with a four-pitch walk and quickly moved into scoring position with a stolen base ahead of Corynne Miller. Miller followed with a base hit, putting runners on second and third with no outs and setting the table for the heart of the order.
In the three spot, Kiley Grubbs was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the heart of the order. The Vikings managed to record two quick outs without damage, but another hit-by-pitch proved costly. Brooklyn Spillman took a fastball off the foot, forcing in the game's first run and giving the Owls an early 1-0 advantage.
After a scoreless second, William Woods would once again find the score column as two Owls crossed the plate in the bottom of the third inning. Addie Rhea led off the frame with a hit by pitch, before the fleet-footed Sam Abernathy was sought to run for the first basemen. Abernathy advanced to second on a sacrifice by Ella Aguiar and advanced to third on the throw. Spillman, again at the plate with a runner in scoring position, delivered a huge hit for William Woods as her single to left field scored Abernathy to grow the Woods' lead to 2-0. The Owls notched their last run of the game on a missile from the bat of Mariah Prince, who knocked in Spillman.
The game remained quiet for the middle frames, with neither team scoring any runs until the seventh inning. The Vikings, facing a 3-0 lead, had the middle of their lineup set to step to the plate against Taylor Baumhoer. Grand View's three-whole led off the frame with a ball in play that led to an Owls miscue to give a spark into their dangerous offense.
Gabriella Taylor, the Vikings' cleanup hitter, leveraged a 0-1 count to barrel a fastball that resulted in runners at first and second for Grand View. The Vikings tallied their first run of the contest just one hitter later as Alexia Jarrett doubled deep into the left field gap that scored Nevaeh Randall, who led off the frame.
Baumhoer was able to get a quick breather thanks to a timely mound visit before she went back to work in the circle. The sophomore, who tallied nine strikeouts in the contest while allowing only three hits, forced the #6 hitter in the lineup to a 1-1 count. The Viking leftfielder barreled a ball down the first base line that was snagged by a diving Owl in Rhea who caught the liner to retire the first batter of the inning.
With one away, Baumhoer was able to work a 0-2 count on the Grand View catcher Reese Cooley. The Viking backstop drove a deep fly ball to centerfield that was corralled by Lewis, with the runners at second and third tagging on the play. Lewis delivered a seed to third basemen Emmy Blevins who applied the tag in enough time to collect the game ending double play.
William Woods University looks to carry this momentum into their next matchup on Wednesday afternoon when the host Culver-Stockton College.
