COLUMBUS — It was another busy weekend for MUW athletics, with big wins coming on the diamond and the court for the Owls. Baseball and softball both registered lopsided St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series wins while tennis picked up a historic win at home over a regional foe.
Baseball
The Owls improved to 15-13 overall, 11-3 in SLIAC play, with a doubleheader sweep of Principia College by scores of 15-0 and 14-4 at Columbus Christian Academy on Saturday. Both games ended via run-rule with the W’s bats red hot. Zach Johnson kept up his strong play at the plate with four hits and two RBIs, including his fifth home run of the season.
Griffin Fuller and Tyler Estabrook had strong outings as well, providing two and three RBIs, respectively, while combining for nine runs. As a team, the Owls recorded 32 hits across both games.
Landon Clark started on the mound in the first game, tossing six scoreless innings and providing two hits with three RBI in a 15-0 win. Clark allowed just two hits from the visitors, walking no one and striking out seven to pick up his 5th win of the season.
Clark added another pair of hits in the second game as a designated hitter, getting home twice in the 14-4 victory. His performances earned him conference Pitcher of the Week honors.
The Owls remain tied with Spalding University in the SLIAC standings, two games back from leaders Webster University. The team will go back on the road in conference play this weekend, facing Lyon College, before returning home for the final regular season series against Westminster College the following week.
Softball
The Owls softball team traveled to face Principia over the weekend, but the result was the same as it was for baseball with a pair of run-rule wins to sweep the road doubleheader.
The W won convincingly, 10-0 and 8-0, respectively, in the doubleheader contests, allowing just one hit in each game as two starting pitchers came away with shutout wins. Avery Byerley took the circle in Game 1, striking out four in the five-inning shutout, followed by Jade Rushing’s dominant performance in Game 2.
Kaitlyn Bearley posted a remarkable performance in the twinbill win, going 5-for-7 at the plate with five RBIs over the two matchups. Her performance in Game 1 featured a remarkable four RBIs and a stolen base.
Bearley was named SLIAC Hitter of the Week for her display on the road.
The Owls, 11-5, 8-2 in conference play, currently sit only behind Spalding and Greenville University in the conference standings. Their next game will be a home matchup with Blackburn College on Saturday.
Tennis
The Owls men’s tennis team won its first-ever matchup against Huntingdon College last week, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Hawks dating back to 2018. Jaylen Lewis, Trevor Davis and Jasper Poag won their singles matchups, and Lewis partnered with Paul Gaines to register a doubles win to give the Owls the 4-3 matchup advantage.
“It was an emotional experience,” said Poag, the lone senior for the men’s team. “And I’m just happy for the team.”
The Owls improved to 2-9 on the year with the win. Next, the team will head to St. Louis for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference South Tournament on Friday.
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