Lady Owls softball team logs victories

The William Woods University Lady Owls softball team relied on some pop at the plate and marked performances on the mound.

William Woods combined for 15 hits - eight going for extra bases - in a pair of identical 5-0 victories over Midland Lutheran College and Missouri Valley College on Friday to open play at the Evangel University Tournament.

Freshman MacKenzie Bowden and senior Courtney Vincent paired up for the three-hit shutout of Midland Lutheran, while junior Kelsey Schulte blanked Missouri Valley on three hits.

Freshman shortstop Lindsey LeCuru, the Lady Owls' leadoff hitter, went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs batted in and three runs scored to anchor William Woods' eight-hit attack against Missouri Valley.

Schulte was 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, while senior center fielder Morgan Parkhurst finished 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. Senior first baseman Audrey Crabtree and senior designated hitter Chelsea Loethen were both 1-for-2 with doubles.

Crabtree went 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and two runs scored as the Lady Owls (6-1-1) put up seven hits against Midland Lutheran. LeCuru was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Senior catcher Megan Willard, senior right fielder Courtney Wilkinson and Schulte - playing in center - also drove in runs for William Woods.

Bowden (3-0) scattered three hits over five innings to log the victory against Midland Lutheran. She struck out eight and issued just one walk. Vincent locked down the win with two innings of perfect relief.

Schulte - battling control issues - threw a complete game against Missouri Valley to raise her season record to 2-0. She posted seven strikeouts but also walked five.

The Lady Owls, winners of five in a row, continued tournament play Saturday with games against Bellevue University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Ashford University. Results were not available at press time.

WWU baseball.........5...5

Missouri Valley.........0...1

Junior starter Robbie McMorris gave up just two hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the Owls' win over the visiting Vikings in the first game of Thursday night's doubleheader.

Freshman catcher Derek Fletcher had a hit and knocked in two runs in the nightcap, and William Woods University completed a sweep by profiting from four Missouri Valley errors.

McMorris issued two walks and struck out one while improving his season record to 2-0. Senior reliever Alex Cann was credited with the save, striking out all four batters he faced.

Senior third baseman Adam Wojciechowski finished 2-for-3 with two RBI as the Owls (6-7) collected eight hits in the opener. Sophomore second baseman Jacob Harrison - a Fulton graduate - also went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base. Senior center fielder Stephen Thoenen was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Senior left fielder Brant Radcliff was hitless in two at-bats in the nightcap, but drove in a run and stole a base for William Woods, which managed just three hits.

Freshman starter Adam Brush allowed an unearned run on four hits in 4 2/3 innings to even his season record at 1-1. Brush struck out six and walked three.

Cann - the last of five pitchers for the Owls - retired the only batter he faced to record his third save of the season.

William Woods' scheduled doubleheader against visiting Benedictine University-Springfield was postponed Saturday because of wet field conditions. The Owls and Bulldogs are set to play a doubleheader at noon today.

Harris-Stowe................76

WWU basketball (M)...52

ST. LOUIS - The No. 5 seed Owls watched their season come to an end after Thursday night's loss to the No. 4 Hornets in the quarterfinals of the American Midwest Conference postseason tournament.

Senior guard Dan Anderson came off the bench to score a team-high 10 points for William Woods University, which dropped its last four games in finishing the season with an 11-19 record. In their first season under head coach Nick Totta, the Owls set a school single-season record for wins and equalled a school mark for AMC victories (five).

Sophomore guard Logan Decker added nine points Thursday night for William Woods, which shot just 37 percent (19-of-51) as a team and committed 15 turnovers. Junior forward Andrew Miller contributed eight points.

Sophomore forward Elliott Black grabbed a team-high five rebounds for the Owls, who were dominated on the boards by an overwhelming 44-25 margin.

Kevin Kramer answered with a game-high 24 points to guide Harris-Stowe (12-19), which shot 45 percent (30-of-67) from the field and had 14 turnovers. Robert Mumphard tallied 17 points.