In a clash of two unbeaten in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, MUW’s men’s baseball team found itself on the wrong end of a three-run homer in the eighth inning at Lyon College on Tuesday in a 5-4 loss that ended its spree of consecutive league victories at six.
Lyon pulled ahead to a 2-0 lead by the third inning after scoring one run in both the second and third innings before the Owls finally got to home plate. Zach Johnson got The W on the board by scrambling home during a fielding error in the fourth inning, and MUW (12-9, 6-1) trailed all the way until the eighth inning when its offense finally awoke.
Matthew Windham scored on a Johnson single, and a double by Baron Brack scored Johnson and Michael O’Neill to put the Owls on top 4-2. Their lead didn’t last long. In the bottom of the eighth, Lyon’s Landon Swallow stepped up and belted a three-run shot in what became the game-winning hit.
Johnson led the way with two of his team’s seven hits, and Windham, Brack, Chase Marshall, Jay Marbutt and Rikard Swayze each had one hit each.
The early going was rough for the Owls as the team struggled to make contact with hurls from Lyon pitcher Aidan Linson, who fanned six MUW batters through his 7.1 innings of work to the tune of only five hits and one earned run. Josh Mackey started on the mound for The W and went three innings with two runs, two hits and one strikeout. Three other Owls pitched in relief after him with Robby Canten (2-2) taking the loss. They combined for four earned runs, five strikeouts, one walk and one wild pitch.
The Owls are back on the road in conference play this weekend series at Spalding University with a chance to get back on the winning side of league play. Saturday is a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. with the second game starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. The series finishes Sunday with the first pitch at 11 a.m.
Softball
The Owls’ struggles in the early season slate continued over the weekend in the form of two losses in a doubleheader battle at Huntingdon College in which both games finished in five innings.
The Eagles took the first contest 9-1 as they exploded for seven runs in the second inning with two runs earned by Owl fielding errors. Huntingdon also plated one run in both the first and fifth innings. MUW’s lone run came in the first inning in which a sacrifice bunt by Madison York Gillion Eaves. The Owls (5-10) struggled to produce off Eagle pitcher Allie Roberts, who fanned eight and only walked two. MUW’s Trinity Garvin took the loss (1-2) as she gave up eight runs on seven hits through 1.1 innings of work.
Much like the first game, MUW struggled to find hits in the second game and was limited to just three as the Eagles pulled away to a 8-0 win.
Huntingdon got another stellar performance from the circle from Addison Gaines, who struck out 11 Owls, as her team’s offense rattled off 13 hits and scored two runs in the first inning, four in the second, one in the third and one more in the fifth. Addison Own led the Owls with two hits, and Garvin had one.
Phallyn Clark (5-2) was dealt the loss as she gave up 10 hits and six earned runs in three innings of work.
The team looks to snap its three-game losing streak at home this weekend with a doubleheader against Westminster College on Saturday. The first game begins at 11 a.m. and the second begins 20 minutes after Game 1.
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