COLUMBUS, Miss. _ The Mississippi University for Women's baseball team picked up its first two wins in its inaugural season on Thursday, Feb. 15. The Owls faced Crowley's Ridge College in an evening doubleheader and defeated the Pioneers 5-4 and 11-1 to advance to 2-3 on the season.

GAME ONE (W, 5-4)
In game one, both the Pioneers and The W were able to score in the first inning.  Crowley's Ridge picked up one run in the top and the Owls answered with two runs in the bottom.

Will Peters, freshman utility player, scored the first run for The W off a throwing error by the Pioneer's first baseman. Johndavid Birdsong, freshman infielder, was credited with the Owls first RBI after he singled to right field to allow Heath Ford to score.

The score remained 2-1 through the second and the third with neither team making it home in the innings.

The Owls extended their lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth with two additional runs. Logan Gruetter, freshman catcher, made it home on a pass ball and Logan Murphy scored on Sumpter Bass's sacrifice fly.

The Owls score held at four but the Pioneers eagerly pushed to tie the game. Crowley's Ridge scored two runs in the top of the fifth and scored an additional run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and force the bottom half of the inning.  

Taking the win and closing the game for The W, Birdsong singled to left field to push Eiland Cleckler home for the RBI and the victory.

Drew Williams, freshman pitcher, was credited with the Owls first win on the mound for a 1-1 record on the season. The Maylene, Ala. native pitched the entire seven innings to allow five hits and four runs (three earned) with one walk and four strikeouts.

At the plate, Lukas Murphy led his team with a perfect batting average going 2-for-2 with one run, while Birdsong led offensively with two RBIs on two hits and four appearances.

The Owls outperformed their opponent with eight hits to five but struggled to make clean plays with three errors while Crowley's Ridge only committed one.

GAME TWO (W, 11-1)

In game two, everything seemed to go the right way for the Owls. Despite several chances to make big plays and cut the Owls lead, the Pioneers were unsuccessful offensively and struggled defensively to give The W its second win.

Behind the plate, the Owls out-hit Crowley's Ridge 17-4 and committed only one error while the Pioneers committed four.

Will Peters, freshman utility player, caught fire at the plate going 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while RJ Cox was a close second going 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.

On the mound, Nick Brooks, a redshirt senior, entered the game in relief to receive his first win of the season. In his second appearance as a pitcher, the Starkville, Miss. native pitched 3.1 innings with no runs or hits and four strikeouts.

COACH WOLF'S THOUGHTS
"[I am] really proud of the way our guys played today. We learned our lesson about staying away from big innings in Texas and how doing that allows us to stay in ball games. [Our] pitching was really good tonight. All three guys did well; Drew, David, and Nick. I was really pleased with our bats and the way we responded when things got tough. [It] feels good to win and play well at home."

UP NEXT
The W will take on Crowley's Ridge in the series conclusion on Friday, Feb. 16 at 12 p.m. If you cannot make it out to the game, follow the livestream: HERE.

To keep up with The W baseball and the rest of Owls athletics, visit OwlsAthletics.com and follow the Owls social media pages at The W Athletics on Facebook and @thewathletics on Instagram and Twitter. Show your support for your favorite team by using the #WinEveryDay and #GoOwls.