PERU, Neb.- William Woods softball (16-17, 10-8 Heart) extended their road stretch Tuesday afternoon, picking up a pair of Heart of America Athletic Conference wins against Peru State College (7-18, 2-12 Heart). The Owls refused to play the mandated seven innings, eclipsing the win in eight-inning in the first contest and finishing in six innings in game two.
In game one, the Bobcats were first to strike pay dirt with a lone run in the bottom of the third inning. Peru State was able to string together three hits to bring home their leadoff single and take an early lead. Woods responded in the top of the fourth when Sammy Lohnes doubled to deep left field, scoring Sara Foster who led off the inning with a free pass.
Peru and Woods traded runs in the fifth inning, with the Owls scoring on a solo-shot from junior first baseman Addie Rhea. This long-ball marks her fourth of the season, extending her average to .340 on the season. Neither team was able to score in sixth or seventh innings to set up yet another extra-inning affair for the Owls.
William Woods erupted in the top of the eighth inning, scoring five runs in the frame. Woods combined for four hits, two errors and a fielder's choice to earn their runs with Foster, Lexi Lewis, Brooklynn Spillman, and Emmy Blevins each rattling off base knocks in the top half.
In the bottom half of the frame, Peru was able to load the bases with two outs to bring up their six-hole. The Bobcat shortstop leveled the long ball for a grand slam to bring the game within one run. The rally killer wasn't enough as Taylor Baumhoer was able to retire her last hitter to earn the complete game win on a 7-6 scoreline.
In game two, Teagan Jones went the distance in the short-game 11-2 victory. Woods rattled off for 12 hits in the six-inning contest, pairing six walks with their offensive production to take the win. Ella Aguiar and Rhea each tallied three hits in the contest, going three-for-four, with Rhea adding another round-tripper to bring her daily total to two and her season total to five. Jones finished with four strikeouts, allowing only two runs.
William Woods returns on Friday morning with a 10 a.m. matchup against Benedictine College before they host Park University on Saturday afternoon for senior day.
