FULTON, Mo.- William Woods Softball (16-19, 10-10 Heart) hosted new conference opponent and the #25 nationally ranked Benedictine Ravens (26-10, 13-3 Heart) in yet another Heart of America Conference matchup. The Owls, despite solid play, fell short in both contests.
Game one featured a low scoring affair as senior Hailey Robinson and Lily SinghDhillon battled in a pitcher's duel. Robinson threw all seven innings for the Owls, striking out six while only allowing two runs to score in the contest.
Woods was rolling defensively deep into the game, allowing only one hit through three innings. In the fourth, the Raven's lead off hitter earned a four pitch walk to set up the meat of the order. After a close play at second base, the BC two hole reached on a fielder's choice to bring up Rhianna Martin, who ranks as one of the best home run hitters in the country. The junior catcher had already taken 11 balls over the wall and would earn her twelfth with one down in the fourth inning to propel the Ravens to a two-run advantage.
William Woods responded with a solo run in the bottom half of the fifth frame. Sammy Lohnes led off the inning with a base knock to left, followed by a sacrifice bunt to move her into scoring position. With two away, Lexi Lewis delivered a huge base hit to the left side to leave runners at the corners for Emmy Blevins. Lewis, who relies heavily on her speed, used that advantage to swipe second and put two runners in scoring position. With one strike, Blevins leveled a fastball to center field to bring in Lohnes and leave Lewis 60 feet away. Woods was unable to bring home the run, but cut the lead in half, taking the Benedictine 2-1 lead into the sixth.
Neither squad was able to score in the sixth inning, with both pitchers retiring almost every batter they faced. The Owls' hurler, Robinson, was able to strikeout two hitters in the top of the seventh to work out of a two-baserunner jam and place the offense in a must-score situation. Lohnes, leading off the frame, worked a seven-pitch walk to spark the offense. With one away, pinch hitter Myla Inman earned herself a four-pitch walk to place runners on first and second. The next hitter, Lewis, barreled a ball into deep left field that was corralled in by the Ravens' defense; however, Woods was able to advance both runners on the throw.
With two away and runners on second and third, Emmy Blevins worked a 1-2 count before fighting off a pitcher's pitch on the outer half that jolted over the backstop. The next pitch found the barrel of her bat right in the sweet spot, heading for centerfield and a potential Owls walk-off winner. Right before the ball could nestle on the freshly wet grass, the Ravens center fielder leaped through and reeled in the diving catch to cement the Benedictine 2-1 win.
Game two saw a similar heartbreak for the Owls, as they fell 8-5 despite only giving up five earned runs. Benedictine turned to their ace in the circle, who had already tallied 140 strikeouts on the year and is widely regarded as one of the top arms in the NAIA. Tracy Gastineau's bunch was able to tack on five earned runs, the largest number given up by the Ravens' ace this season.
Benedictine jumped on the board first with a lone run in the leading inning, to take a 1-0 advantage. William Woods exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third inning, grabbing a 4-1 lead from the BC lineup. The big blow in the inning came off a double in the gap from Ella Aguiar that scored Lohnes, Lewis and Prince. Aguiar, sitting at second base, waited for the hot bat of Addie Rhea to triple in the opposite gap, giving Woods their three-run advantage.
The Ravens put up back-to-back two spots in the fourth and fifth innings to reclaim the lead. Woods was able to muster a solo run in the bottom half of the fifth inning, again off the bat of Rhea who's single to right scored Lewis. Benedictine was able to tack on two more runs in the sixth before scratching a lone, insurance run in the top of the seventh to cement their series sweep.
William Woods returns tomorrow afternoon for senior day at Backer West. First pitch is set for 1 a.m.
