WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – Mississippi University for Women's softball team swept its Saturday doubleheader at Williams Baptist University, completing a sweep of the three-game road series. The Owls (21-18) also reached the 20-win level for the third time in its modern era – and first time since 2019 – by virtue of its 11-10 and 5-4 wins over the Eagles.
The victories also extended The W's win streak to six games to close out the 2023 regular season. Berths for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) post-season tournament are announced May 7.
In the first game, neither team scored many style points for pitching or defense. Both teams pummeled the other's hurlers for 15 hits each and both defenses committed three errors. In the end, the Owls had to work two extra innings to gain the "W", after leading 6-0 after two innings.
The Eagles were able to tie the game (at 8-8) off of MUW's top pitcher,
Rylie Grisham, who came on in relief in the seventh, to send it to extra innings.
The Owls looked like they might end things in the eighth when
Maiya Joe ripped a two-run homer to give her team a 10-8 margin. But a two-out fielding error in the bottom of the inning allowed the Eagles to knot it at 10-10, before The W plated the winning run in the top of the ninth.
Alysa Newman (3-5),
Maddy Suggs (3-6) and Joe (3-6, 5 RBI) each collected three hits to lead the Owls' offens5.
Madison Crosby (2-5, 2 RBI) and
Jaelynn Palmer (2-3, 2 BB) also had muilti-hit games.
Grisham was to pitcher of record, improving her personal record to 11-6 with her 3.0 innings of relief work.
In game two,
Avery Byerley threw all 7.0 innings for the Owls. She scattered seven hits and gave up the four runs (just three earned). Byerley improved her record to 3-4 on the year. WBU got three runs in the first and another in the second, before Byerley shut down the hosts the rest of the way.
The W got even with a four-run third inning and added the deciding run in the fifth on an
Ashton Farnell RBI single.
Palmer went 2-for-3 to top MUW's batters. Four of the Owls' eight hits in the game came from the Nos. 1-3 spots in the lineup.
