EUREKA, Ill. – The W baseball climbed above the .500 mark for the first time this season and, in the process, kept itself among the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) leaders, thanks to its three-game series sweep at Eureka College. The Owls (13-12, 9-3 SLIAC) are currently in a tie for second in the SLIAC after winning both ends of a league doubleheader, 15-7 and 11-7, over the Red Devils (8-20, 4-8 SLIAC), as well as Sunday's non-league game, 9-4.
In Saturday's game one, MUW held a slim 5-4 lead through four innings, before outscoring Eureka 10-3 the rest of the way. Reliever
Chris Ellis got the win with 5.1 innings, following starter
Robby Canten (3.2 IP). Ellis scattered seven hits, gave up three runs (two earned), while striking out six Red Devils (and walking just two).
Zach Johnson led the offensive assault, going 4-for-6. Johnson, who has hit safely in 22 of 23 games this year, drove in six runs and launched his third home run of the year. He also stole a pair of bases.
Zack Egan went 3-for-5, including a pair of doubles, scoring three times and driving in one run.
Baron Brack (2-5) and
Avery Benson (2-4, 3 runs) each had multi-hit games, as well.
In game two, The W amassed its 11-7 lead after seven innings, before the contest was suspended due to darkness. The final two frames were played prior to Sunday's scheduled single game – which did not count as a SLIAC game – with no changes coming to the score.
After starter
Connor Reilly was chased after 2.1 innings and 5 runs allowed, reliever
Campbell McCluney (3-0) got the win with 4.2 frames of work.
Landon Clark threw two innings of one-hit, scoreless relief in Sunday's resumption, registering three strikeouts and walking none.
Benson, a senior catcher, had a huge game by going 5-for-5, with two doubles and his career-leading 21st homer (a solo shot in the fifth).
Clark also helped his team's cause with the bat, going 3-for-5, with a double and a run scored. Outfielder
Griffin Fuller had MUW's other multi-hit effort, going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI.
As a team, The W out-hit the Devils, 14-6.
In the non-conference series finale, The W bats stayed hot by racking up 12 hits (4 of the extra-base variety). Johnson went 2-for-5 with three RBI, including cracking his fourth homer of the season. Clark had another good day at the plate, as well, going 2-for-3 with sixth-inning solo home run.
Loren Cox and Brack both went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Cox's RBI single plated the Owls' first run of the game in the first, while Brack had an RBI ground out in the third and a run-scoring double in the sixth.
Wes Thornton (1-2) had a double for MUW's only other extra-base knock.
Walker Smith (1-0) – the second of four Owls' hurlers – went 2.0 innings in relief of starter
Josh Mackey, to notch his first victory with The W.
