No other opponent here tormented the top seeds like the William Woods University Owls baseball team.
But in the end, all William Woods had to show for it was a pair of maddening near-misses.
The No. 4 seed Owls carried a two-run lead into the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night, only to watch No. 2 Auburn University-Montgomery stage a stunning three-run rally to eliminate William Woods 9-8 at the NAIA national tournament.
The Owls - who led top-seeded LSU-Shreveport 5-2 last Thursday night before falling 10-5 - went 2-2 in making their first appearance at the national tournament. William Woods completed the season with a 30-16 record, reaching the 30-win mark for the third straight year.
To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.