DUBOIS, Penn. – The Owls baseball team competed well in the USCAA Small College World Series. Despite the effort, its bid to the championship game ended Wednesday, May 15 in a 3-1 loss to Bryant and Stratton College on day three of the tournament. 

Making his first appearance this week, sophomore pitcher David Standifer pitched 4.1 innings to start the game. The Mobile, Ala. delivered five strikeouts to keep the Bobcats scoreless during his first two of the innings on the mound. 

In the third, Bryant and Stratton scored the first two runs of the game on a double to center field and a sacrifice fly. 

The Bobcats added an additional run in the fifth to extend their lead to 3-0. 

Preventing a shutout, sophomore Will Peters hit his first home run of the season in the sixth to score The W's only run of the contest. 

Standifer suffered the loss on the mound with three runs for five strikeouts and three hits against.

Junior Luke Hobson entered in the fifth to pitched 2.2 innings for two strikeouts and two hits against.

At the plate, sophomore Peters led the offense with a 2-for-2 appearance for one RBI. 

In the tournament, Johndavid Birdsong led the Owls at the plate with 14 at-bats, four runs, six hits (including one double), and two RBIs. The sophomore from Montevallo, Ala. played in all four games for a .429 batting average, a .500 slugging percentage, and a .429 on-base percentage. 

USCAA All-American Damain Benefield led the Owls offense with four RBIs. The Ranburne, Ala. native played in every game for 12 at-bats, three runs, and five hits (including two doubles and one home run) for a .417 batting average, a .833 slugging percentage, and a .500 on-base percentage. 

On the mound, RJ Dell and Will Peters collected the Owls only wins. 

The W closes the 2019 season with an 18-13 record for a .589 winning percentage and a fifth-place finish in the USCAA Championship Tournament.