ELSAH, Ill. – The W's combination of a pair of dominant pitching performances, along with some offense to spare, resulted in two lopsided St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) softball road wins at Principia College. The Owls (18-12, 8-2 SLIAC) topped the Panthers (1-1, 0-10 SLIAC) by scores of 10-0 and 8-0, with both games halted after five innings by the run rule.
 
The MUW tandem of Avery Byerley and Jade Rushing proved an insurmountable obstacle for the Panthers to overcome from the circle, as both threw one-hit shutouts. Byerley had 4 strikeouts and walked two, as she improved her personal record to 5-2 on the year and lowered her season earned run average to 1.67 for nine appearances.
 
Meanwhile Rushing, making just her second start of the season, picked up her first win of 2025 with the complete game. Rushing struck out one and walked two with her commanding effort.
 
With Byerley and Rushing dealing from the circle in both ends of the twinbill, the offense didn't really have to do too much.
 
But it did, anyway.
 
The W pounded out a combined 27 hits – 5 doubles and 22 singles – in the sweep. Kaitlyn Bearley had the hot bat by going a combined 5-for-7, with a double and five runs batted in for the day.
 
Emilee Slade was 3-for-6 for the pair of games. Slade scored three runs and drove in another.
 
Rushing even got into the act with her bat, as well. As a pinch hitter in game one and the pitcher in game two, Rushing had an aggregate 2-for-4 day, with a double, and four RBI (three in game No. 2, alone, to help her own cause).
 
The Owls will next travel to Fulton, Missouri, to take on Westminster College on Saturday (April 19/11 a.m.).