COLUMBIA - A 7-2 victory against No. 6 seed Lyon College got the William Woods Owls one win from playing for a conference championship, but a 3-0 defeat against No. 2 seed Central Baptist College ended the season Friday for No. 5 seed William Woods.
In their first elimination game Friday, the Owls broke a tie at 2 with three runs in the fourth inning and Alexis Hassler only surrendered two hits to Lyon College after the first inning of the American Midwest Conference Tournament contest.
After Kortanie Ruhland tied the game in the first inning with a two-run double, Lyon only managed one baserunner until a leadoff single in the fifth.
Hassler struck out two and walked two while allowing two runs and four hits in seven innings.
At the plate, Hassler singled in a run in the first and doubled in another run in the seventh.
Mia Santos drove in two of William Woods' runs in the fourth with a single.
William Woods' lone runner in scoring position against Central Baptist's Hannah Work came in the second inning with the help of a Hassler leadoff walk and a groundout, but a strikeout stranded Hassler at third base and kept the score at 2-0.
Kalee Wall pitched all seven innings for the Owls, allowing three runs on 10 hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
Baleigh Jackson and Katie Gordon each singled in a run in the first for the Mustangs, who will face top-seeded Columbia College at 11 a.m. today in the championship game.
Central Baptist (30-12) needs two victories against Columbia (33-5) to win the tournament, while one win for the Cougars would clinch the title.
William Woods ends its season at 21-22.