MUW’s softball team had no issue in putting away Principia College in a doubleheader on Saturday, where the Owls easily cruised to a sweep of the visiting Panthers by combined score of 26-2 to stay perfect in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
In Game 1, a sacrifice fly by Lynnzie Kennedy began a spree of three runs scored in the second inning for MUW (9-10, 4-0) and it ended with Rachel Etheridge racing home during a wild pitch. The Panthers (3-11, 0-6) plated their only run in the third inning and the Owls responded in the fourth with an explosion of five runs to pull away for good.
Gillion Eaves led the team with three hits and two RBI, and Kennedy had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. In the circle, Rachel Etheridge (2-0) kept Principia at bay with only six hits given up and two strikeouts.
Game 2 opened up with the Owls taking a commanding 10-1 lead after the first inning. Eaves scored on a wild pitch, Kaylee Crawford belted a two-RBI single and soon scored during a wild pitch, Brianna Byrd crossed home plate during a passed ball and a triple by Eaves, and a Panthers throwing error brought home three more runs. The Owls tacked on two more runs in the second inning, one in the third and four more in the fifth.
The win is the teams’ fourth consecutive conference victory and sets up a long weekend road trip for the Owls in two more SLIAC showdowns with a doubleheader at Lyon College on Friday and a doubleheader at Eureka College on Sunday.
Baseball
The Owls’ baseball team took the middle portion of a three-game series against visiting Webster University on Friday but it was the only victory the team could muster against the Gorloks, who took the series two games to one.
In Game 1 of Friday’s doubleheader, the Gorloks’ (15-10, 10-1) bats showed up and showed out with a display of five home runs to hand the Owls (15-12, 9-4) a 16-13 loss. Webster and MUW dueled early and traded runs back and forth with the Gorloks holding onto a 6-4 lead after the fourth inning – and the long-ball party began. Webster drilled three straight home runs in the fifth inning for five runs and then picked up right where it left off in the sixth with two more homers, one two-run and one three-run shot to pull away for good. The Owls, who outhit the Gorloks 18-16, added six runs in the seventh and one in the ninth but fell short of the comeback. Reid Hietpas led Webster with four hits and five RBI and Zach Johnson led MUW with three hits, three RBI and three runs. Three pitchers took the mound for the Owls and starting hurler Zach Connell (2-3) took the loss. He worked 3.1 innings and gave up five hits, six earned runs and walked five with three strikeouts.
MUW rallied in Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader and kept the Gorloks’ bats under control as the Owls captured a 13-9 victory.
Webster held a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, where the Owls tied the game up with a spree of four runs. Baron Brack put MUW up for good in the sixth inning with a grand slam to left field and the team kept on scoring with four more in the eighth.
Brack led the team with four hits and seven RBI, and Will Carter got the win on the mound in relief effort. He worked the final 3.2 innings and gave up only four earned runs and struck out three batters.
While quieted in Game 2, the Gorloks’ bat wouldn’t stay docile for long and reappeared angry in Saturday’s Game 3 where Webster hit six homers in a 21-8 win over MUW.
Webster feasted on the Owls pitching with 17 hits and 17 RBI and scored at least two runs in six different innings. MUW sent four pitchers on the mound and together they combined for 14 earned runs, seven walks and three strikeouts.
The Owls are back on the diamond for a series at Westminster College with a doubleheader on Saturday. The series closes with Game 3 on Sunday.
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