Senior third baseman Joel Matthews and junior left fielder Jake Abbott both had two-run singles to fuel a six-run fourth inning Wednesday night, helping direct the Fulton Hornets to a 7-0 NCMC victory over Kirksville.
Junior pitcher Jake Matthews - making his first varsity start - scattered four hits over five scoreless innings as Fulton extended its winning streak to three games. The Hornets - who also avenged a 3-2 loss to Kirksville on March 31 in Fulton - climbed above the .500 mark at 7-6 overall and evened their North Central Missouri Conference record at 4-4.
"We played our most complete game of the season," Hornets head coach Darren Masek said. "We pitched well, played outstanding defense (with no errors), and up and down the lineup we were solid."
Fulton broke a scoreless tie with its outburst in the fourth. Senior right fielder Nick Christensen doubled to open the inning, freshman shortstop Dalton Horstmeier drew a walk and senior second baseman Alex Thomas beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt to load the bases.
Senior designated hitter Ben Menke and junior first baseman Burke Echelmeier then followed with consecutive singles, scoring Christensen and Horstmeier, respectively, to make it 2-0. After senior catcher Brandon Hammerstone struck out, Abbott's single chased home Thomas and Menke.
Senior center fielder Ryan Fritz then flied out, but Joel Matthews delivered a single to score Echelmeier and Abbott to put Fulton up 6-0.
The Hornets added their final run in the sixth. Echelmeier led off with a single, moved up on Hammerstone's sacrifice and scored on Abbott's single.
Abbott finished 2-for-4 with his three RBI as Fulton totalled 11 hits. Joel Matthews was also 2-for-4 with a double and his two RBI, while Echelmeier went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Fritz also finished 2-for-4.
"We had some timely hitting with two outs," Masek said.
Joel Matthews issued three walks and struck out two in logging his first varsity win.
"I thought Joel showed a lot of poise and composure," Masek said. "The strike zone was a little tight but he didn't let it affect him. Overall, I was pleased with his effort.
"We thought it was time to give him a chance to start and he answered the call."
Senior Dayton Depping - moving over from first base - worked the final two innings in relief of Joel Matthews.
Fulton remains on the road for an NCMC game at Hannibal at 5 p.m. today. The Hornets will be looking to redeem themselves after a 4-3 loss to the Pirates on April 8 in Fulton.
"We want to take this (Kirksville win) and build on that momentum," Masek said. "We're starting to show signs of playing the way we know we're capable. Hopefully we can keep it up."
Hornets golf team finishes
second in triangular meet
The Fulton boys' golf team accumulated a team score of 177 to take second place in a triangular with Mexico and North Callaway on Wednesday at Tanglewood Golf Course in Fulton.
Mexico - led by medalist Jared Smiley's 39 - secured team honors with a 167. North Callaway followed the Hornets in third place with a 180.
Juniors JoeRyan Anderson and Glenn Ripsch paced Fulton with scores of 41 and 42, respectively. Seniors Jordan Kelley and Jeff White also contributed a pair of 47s.
"Overall, our top two guys played fairly well," Hornets head coach Pat Kelley said. "JoeRyan Anderson has shown a lot of improvement. Literally, we're a week away from district play; hopefully we can get hot on the right day."
Fulton competes in a quadrangular with New Bloomfield, Eugene and Russellville at 4 p.m. Monday at Tanglewood
Lady Hornets soccer team
reschedules Boonville game
The Fulton girls' soccer team's North Central Missouri Conference home game against Boonville, postponed Tuesday night because of rain and lightning, has been rescheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, at Morgan Soccer Complex.
The Lady Hornets (11-2) - who have won three straight - host Jefferson City Helias at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The junior varsity game will be played first.
Blue Jays' Webb shares third
at SLIAC golf championships
ST. LOUIS - Westminster College's Taylor Webb finished in a tie for third place individually as the Blue Jays came in fifth overall at the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's golf championships.
Webb compiled a three-day score of 222 (73-73-76), sharing third with Spalding (Ky.) University's Keith Thompason as the conference championships concluded Tuesday at Forest Park Golf Club. Westminster recorded a team total of 945 (313-307-325).
A senior from Jefferson City, Webb is a four-year letterwinner in both golf and men's soccer for the Blue Jays. This is the third year Webb has earned all-SLIAC honors in golf, after receiving second-team status as both a freshman and a junior.
Westminster's Daniel King - a freshman from Union - was named to the SLIAC all-sportsmanship team.
Webster University captured the SLIAC team title with a score of 886 (296-287-303). The Gorloks' Kaleb Kessler was individual champion with a 219 (74-72-73).
Owls golf team finishes
third at Hannibal-LaGrange
HANNIBAL - The William Woods University men's golf team posted a two-day team score of 611 (304-307) to finish third at the Hannibal-LaGrange University Spring Invitational on Tuesday.
Freshman Andrew Davis led the Owls by tying for eighth place individually with a 151 (79-72), coming in six shots behind tournament champion Philipe Guidi of Hannibal-LaGrange.
William Woods freshman Warren Crow tied for 12th with a 152 (72-80), while junior Bobby Mayer (76-79), sophomore Chris Reinert (78-77) and junior J.D. Nash (77-78) all tied for 16th with a 155.
Hannibal-LaGrange claimed the team title with a 593 (297-296), while Evangel University was second with a 597 (303-294).
The Owls compete in the American Midwest Conference championships April 27-30 at Whispering Creek Golf Course in Sioux City, Iowa.
Two Owls players receive
AMC baseball recognition
William Woods University's LJ Watson and Adam Brush have been named the American Midwest Conference baseball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for April 11-17.
Watson - a senior outfielder from O'Fallon, Ill. - combined to go 8-for-11 with a .727 batting average last week. Half of his hits went for extra bases - three doubles and a home run - and he drove in seven runs during that span. Watson also scored six runs and stole two bases.
In an AMC doubleheader sweep of McKendree (Ill.) University last Sunday in Fulton, Watson went 6-for-8. He leads the Owls in home runs (7) and RBI (44).
Brush, a freshman from Ashland, threw his first complete-game shutout in college in William Woods' 6-0 victory over McKendree last Sunday. Brush scattered two hits, struck out four and issued three walks.
The Owls' scheduled doubleheader at Central Methodist University was postponed Wednesday. William Woods (28-13, 15-5 AMC) - which owns a five-game winning streak - opens a four-game conference series against Park University with a 5 p.m. doubleheader Friday at Owls Field. The two teams will then play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Westminster softball...11...9
MacMurray College......0...3
Freshman starter Brittany Lee threw a one-hitter and struck out four in the host Lady Blue Jays' runaway win over the Lady Highlanders in the opener of Tuesday's SLIAC doubleheader.
In the nightcap at Blue Jay Field, sophomore designated hitter Morgan Shipley had four hits - including a three-run home run - and Westminster College waited out a 45-minute weather delay to complete a sweep.
The Lady Blue Jays halted a 10-game losing streak in improving to 6-15 on the season and 4-8 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. MacMurray (Ill.) tumbled to 2-24 overall and 0-12 in the conference.
Lee raised her season record to 3-7 as the first game was called on the 10-run rule after five innings. The only hit she allowed came on a two-out single in the top of the fourth.
Lee also helped her own cause at the plate by going 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the first and two runs scored. Westminster - which piled up 11 hits - put up three runs in the first, one in the second and broke the game open with a seven-run outburst in the fourth.
Freshman first baseman Rai'an Harris was also 1-for-3 with a two-run double in the fourth and scored a run later in the inning. Senior shortstop Brittany Moreno went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the fourth and scored twice.
Freshman second baseman Becca Rose finished 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the fourth, an RBI sacrifice fly in the second and two runs scored.
The Lady Blue Jays fell behind 3-0 in the second game before tying it with two runs in the third and one in the fourth. Following the rain delay, Westminster went in front to stay on freshman left fielder Lori Jones' RBI double in the fifth.
Shipley launched her three-run homer to center with two out in the sixth as the Lady Blue Jays stretched their lead to 7-3. Moreno added an RBI double in the inning.
Shipley went 4-for-4 with two runs scored as Westminster - capitalizing on three MacMurray errors - went on a 16-hit binge. Harris was also 2-for-5 and supplied two of the Lady Blue Jays' five doubles while scoring twice and driving in a run.
Lee, starting at second base before pitching three innings of relief, finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
Westminster freshman starter Sarah Schneider worked four innings to pick up the win, squaring her season record at 3-3. Schneider surrendered three earned runs on just three hits, posted five strikeouts and walked three.
Lee didn't allow a run while giving up only one hit to record her first save of the season. She struck out three.
The Lady Blue Jays host a SLIAC doubleheader against Eureka (Ill.) College at 3 p.m. Friday.
Hornets, T-Birds change
freshman doubleheader
The Fulton freshman baseball team's doubleheader against North Callaway - originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, at Auxvasse - has been moved to Fulton's new high school field on Wednesday, April 27.
The doubleheader will start at 5 p.m.