Owls sweep back-to-back AMC doubleheaders

The Owls swept back-to-back double headers against American Midwest Conference opponent McKendree on Sunday and Monday. The victories improved William Woods to 28-13 on the season and 13-5 in AMC play.

The Monday games were on opposite sides of the spectrum, with the Owls winning game one 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning and game two going away 8-0. Owls senior starter Alex Cann scattered three hits and walked five in running his record to 3-0 on the season.

He gave up all three runs in the top half of the second inning when McKendree second baseman Ronnie Calvird sent a 1-0 pitch over the fence for a three-run home run to put McKendree up 3-0. The Owls got on the board in the bottom of the second when freshman pinch runner Matt Thomas scored on a wild pitch by McKendree starter Cole Willie.

Senior third baseman Adam Wojchiechowski singled to right field to score senior right fielder L.J. Watson and junior first baseman Derek McCawley tied the game at three when he scored on a successful squeeze bunt attempt by catcher Zach Woody. The Owls ended the game when sophomore pinch runner Ryan Sweet scored on a two-out single by senior center fielder Stephen Thoenen.

William Woods got eight runs on seven hits in game two, with shortstop Blake Wilson going 1-for-2 with two RBI in the 8-0 win. Junior starting pitcher Jon Hecht pitched six innings, surrendering five hits and striking out seven batters. The Owls got five runs in the third inning, including RBI base hits from McCawley and Wojchiechowski.

William Woods senior starter Logan Lawson won the first game on Sunday 8-4, going five innings and giving up seven hits by striking out six. The Owls scored two runs in the second, fourth and sixth inning and never trailed.

McCawley was 1-for-4 with three RBI and William Woods pounded out 12 hits. Fletcher hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the fourth inning, one of his two RBI.

Freshman Adam Brush pitched a complete game shutout and gave up two runs in the 6-0 game two win. L.J. Watson went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a home run on the day.

The Owls travel to Fayette to play Central Methodist in a doubleheader today starting at 3 p.m.

WWU softball............18....3

Avila University..........10....5

The Owls split a home doubleheader on Saturday in the team's Senior Day proceedings. The 18 runs in the first game was a season-high for William Woods, who dropped to 23-18 on the season.

The Owls snapped a two-game losing skid by pounding out 13 hits on the day. Five William Woods players had multiple hits as the Owls came back from a 9-5 deficit in the third inning. Senior starter Courtney Vincent gave up four runs in the second and five runs in the third as Avila pulled ahead of the Owls, who scored five runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning.

After scoring eight in the fourth inning, William Woods sent junior reliever Kelsey Schulte to the mound. She struck out three batters in two innings of work while giving up one run to get the win.

The two teams were tied at one after seven innings in the back half of the double header. Schulte pitched all nine innings of the 5-3 loss, giving up three earned runs on six hits in the loss. Senior center fielder Morgan Parkhurst went 2-for-3 with an RBI on the day.

William Woods closes out its home and American Midwest Conference schedule today at 2 p.m. when they host Park University.

WWU women's golf takes second at Illinois Wesleyan Tournament

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., - No. 8 William Woods took home runner-up honors in Sunday's Illinois Wesleyan tournament. The first day of play was called off due to inclimate weather so all scores came from the last day of play.

The tournament featured 20 teams and the Owl shot 319 to finish four strokes behind the winning team from North Central College. Junior Ashlee Daly and sophomore Naomi Starr each took home top finishing honors for the Owls, with matching 78's, a 6-over par sixth place result. Junior Jada Bennington ended the day at 9-over par to finish tied for 16th place, freshman Jamie Palermo shot 10-over to come in a tie for 24th and sophomore Lindsey Johnson came in with a 17-over to end the day in a tie for 66th.

The Owls next play in the AMC Championships on Thursday at the Spencer T. Olin Golf Club in Alton, Ill.

Owls Track and Fielders sweep AMC Athlete of the Week honors

LEBANON, Ill., - Sophomore's Ryan Meyer and Anthony Stockton shared the American Midwest Conference Male Athlete of the Week honors for the week of April 13. Meyer finished second in the 1500-meter run with at time of 4:02.03 and was a part of the Owls 4x800-meter relay team that finished second in a school record time of 8:00.49. Both results happened at the April 9 Central Methodist Relays.

Stockton finished third in the hammer throw with a toss of 173 feet-five inches, fifth in the shot put with a heave of 50-feet-11 1/2 inches and seventh in the discus throw at 148 feet-five inches at the Central Missouri Relays.

Freshman Whitney Burton took home the women's award after finishing first in the high jump at the Central Missouri Relays. Burton won the event with a leap of five feet-five inches to best 21 other competitors. The mark set a new school record and also helped her qualify for the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

Blue Jays tennis players earn all-conference honors

ST. LOUIS - Sophomore Tony Stephenson won a second straight St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year Award after a tournament win in the No. 1 SLIAC Men's Individual Tournament this past weekend.

Stephenson, along with sophomore's Alec Belden and Kyle Tolbert ad junior David Berry, all earned all-conference honors, with each winning their singles flight tournament championships. Stephenson and Belden and Tolbert and Berry also won their doubles flights.

The women's team placed five players on the all-conference teams after their end of the SLIAC Individual Tournament at Principia College. Freshman Sarah Heeter was named second team as was junior Lara Banner, freshman Amy Osborn and sophomore Courtney Darkow.