COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women baseball picked up a pair of much-needed wins by sweeping Southeastern Baptist College at Heritage Academy Field. The Owls (7-12) bested the Chargers (5-10) in game one, 6-4, and went on to earn a 5-4 victory with a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt in game two.
The W had a good start to it day, plating a pair of runs in the fort inning of game one.
Thomas Tucker scored after an SBC throwing error.
Tanner Evans then doubled to left-center field to drive in
Joel Estabrook, 2-0.
A solo homer in the top of the third got SBC on the board and a pair of runs in the fifth gave the visitors a 3-2 lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Owls got even when Tucker singled to left and pinch-runner
Xavier Harrison motored home to knot matters at 3-3. A
Blake Estabrook double brought Tucker home with the game-winning RBI. MUW added a couple of insurance runs on an SBC error which, as it turned out, the hosts would need, 6-3.
MUW starter
Kirby Ross went 6.0 innings, giving up seven hits. Ross struck out six and walked two, permitting three runs.
Tyler Temple pitched the seventh to earn his first save of the season, despite permitting a solo home run that made it the 6-4 final score.
In game one, Tucker was 2-for-4 with two runs and a run batted in. Owls' thirdbaseman
Baker Watson was 2-for-3 in the game.
Game two saw The W playing catch-up after a pair of runs by SBC in the second frame. However, the Owls brought out the heavy artillery to twice get back in the game. In the bottom of the third, back-to-back solo home runs by
Blaize Gann and
Blake Estabrook tied the contest at 2-2.
After the Chargers added two runs in the top of the fourth, MUW again found some magic at the plate. In the bottom of six, Evans drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Owls catcher
Avery Benson then drilled a line-drive homer over the right-centerfield fence and MUW was once again even at 4-4.
Joel Estabrook – who took over for starter Temple in the third and would earn the victory with 5.0 innings of work – tossed a scoreless seventh to bring his team up to bat, still tied.
Tucker and Gann drew walks to start the winning rally.
Blake Estabrook reached on a fielder's choice, with Tucker forced at second and the speedy Gann moving up to third.
Joel Estabrook worked a walk, as well, to load the bases for Evans.
Evans stepped to the plate leading The W regulars in slugging percentage and ranking second on the team in batting average. But MUW head coach
Scott Mularz reached into his bag of tricks and – with Gann immediately breaking for the plate – Evans dropped a perfect bunt toward third base, as Gann easily scored the winning run.
