COLUMBUS, Miss. - Mississippi University for Women's baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader versus Wright State University-Lake Campus to assure itself of the series win. The Owls (5-2) won game one versus the Lakers (5-4), 10-6, before dropping the three-game series finale, 13-9, in game two at Columbus Christian Academy.
 
MUW also took Friday's opener, 4-3, in 11 innings.
 
Things didn't look to be in MUW's favor in game one, however, as the team trailed 6-3 after three innings of the seven-inning affair. But a four-run fourth by the Owls quickly flipped the script. A leadoff double by catcher Avery Benson, followed by back-to-back one-out doubles by Johnny Setchfield and Josh Mackey cut the deficit to 6-5.
 
With runners on the corners, and after two Lakers' pitching changes, MUW executed a double steal with Baker Watson's run tying the game. Baron Brack then delivered what would be the game-winning hit to make it 7-6.
 
MUW added insurance with a single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
 
Senior Tyler Temple – who came in to throw 3.2 innings of scoreless relief – was the benefactor to pick up his first win of 2024. Temple allowed just two hits, striking out four and walking none.
 
MUW starter Landon Clark also had four "Ks" with zero walks, as well. Clark was charged with all six WSULC runs in his 3.1 innings of work.
 
The bottom half of the Owls' order did the most damage. The Nos. 5-8 batters – Benson (2-4), Setchfield (2-4), and Mackey (2-3) – each collected multiple hits. In the nine hole, Baker Watson led all hitters by going 3-for-3. Setchfield blasted a solo home run in the fifth, his team-leading third roundtripper of the year.
 
Austin Telano, batting third in the order, also went 2-for-4. In all, the Owls out-hit the Lakers, 13-11.
 
In Saturday's second game, MUW trailed by five – 8-3 – through 4 ½ innings, but still mounted a furious comeback bid that came up short. The Owls tallied three in the bottom of the fifth and then added single runs in the sixth and seventh frames to draw to within a single run, 9-8. However, the Lakers exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach. MU added one in its final at-bats for the 13-9 final.
 
This time it was the top portion of the lineup providing the offensive punch, garnering 10 of the team's 12 hits. In order, MUW's multi-hit game were turned in by Clark (2-5), Brack (3-5), Telano (2-3), and Benson (3-4) in the Nos. 1-4 slots. Benson had a team-leading four RBI – buoyed by his three-run homer in the Owls' fourth – and Clark drove in two.
 
MUW starter Loren Cox (0-2) took the loss, Cox went 1.0 innings and allowed three earned runs. Three Owls' relievers followed Cox to the hill.