COLUMBIA -- Rylee Hagens went 2-for-3 with a triple in Game 2 of the doubleheader, but William Woods (11-19, 2-4 American Midwest Conference) was unable to finish the comeback and dropped both games to Cottey College (18-14, 4-2) on Wednesday.
The Owls fell 7-2 and 8-3 at Battle Spartans Stadium.
The first game of the doubleheader was a defensive battle through five innings. Woods was the first team to advance a runner past second base, with Iliana Manzano drawing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third.
Jessica Keilholz's one-out sacrifice bunt moved Manzano to second, and Ella Aguiar looped a single to left to put runners on the corners. Unfortunately, a strikeout stalled the WWU threat.
Cottey broke open the game in the sixth, scoring three runs in a two-out rally sparked by a double by Halen Hoelzeman that scored Amelia Gassman. After Gassman retired the Owls in order in the bottom of the sixth, Jenna Wilson sent a leadoff homer to center field, and the Comets added four more runs in the top of the seventh.
Manzano answered with a two-run dinger for Woods in the bottom of the seventh, trying to spark a comeback. The Owls managed to get a pair of runners on base but couldn't narrow the gap.
In the nightcap, the Owls opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, as Aguiar led off with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Keilholz plated Aguiar with a double to left center but could only advance to third.
The Owls held Cottey scoreless in the top of the second, but it would be the only scoreless inning down the stretch for the visitors. Cottey led off the fourth and fifth innings with solo home runs, leading 5-1 at the end of the top of the sixth.
Woods managed to close the gap to 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, as Hagens tripled Brooke Lopez in with one out, then scored courtesy of an Ally Mahoney single.
Hoelzeman responded with Cottey's third home run of the day, a two-run shot to reestablish a four-run cushion for the Comets. After an insurance run pushed the margin to 8-3, Woods could not connect in the bottom of the seventh.
The Owls continue AMC play on April 6 at Columbia College. First pitch is 2 p.m.