COLUMBUS, Miss. – A combination of some late inning offensive heroics and more great pitching helped The W softball to a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) doubleheader sweep of Blackburn College on Senior Day Saturday. The Owls (20-12, 10-2 SLIAC) toppled the Beavers (15-18, 7-9 SLIAC) with a 3-2 walk-off in game one and 7-2 win in game two.
The wins kept MUW – currently No. 3 in the SLIAC standings by percentage points – in contention for one of the top two spots in the regular season standings - and a first-round bye - for the 6-team SLIAC post-season tournament. The Owls will play an all-important doubleheader on Monday (April 28/11 a.m. CT) at league-leading Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky.
Saturday's sweep also gave the team its third-consecutive 20-win season and its fifth in the seven full seasons since athletics was reinstated in 2017-18.
But it didn't come easy. At least not in game one.
The W squared off versus Blackburn ace pitcher, Shelby Koenig, who entered the game with a 10-4 record and sub-.250 earned run average. And for six innings Koenig looked untouchable, allowing just four hits and an unearned run, holding a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
That's where Koenig was a victim of her team's defense, opening the door the Owls' comeback. Leadoff batter
Emilee Slade (0-4) was retired, but
Anna Sandlin (1-3) singled to right and a fielding error allowed her to advance to scoring position. Senior
Riley Phillips (1-4) then slammed a single to left that drove in Sandlin with the game-tying run, with Phillips advancing all the way to third on a throwing error from left field.
That brought MUW freshman phenom
Brooklyn Rhodes (0-3) to the plate with the game-winning run 60 feet away. With still only one out, a deep fly ball to center field allowed Phillips to slide home with the winning run, on Rhodes' first sacrifice fly of the season, that set off an MUW celebration.
Senior
Avery Byerley – who sits behind only Koenig on the SLIAC ERA list – improved to 6-2 by virtually matching the Beavers' star hurler. Byerley went 7.0 innings, scattered seven hits, and permitted the two runs (just one earned). Byerley struck out four BC players (Koenig had 5 Ks).
In the second game, the Owls took control early and never looked back, scoring three times each in the first and third innings.
Meanwhile, Rhodes was dominating from the circle. Rhodes threw 4.0 scoreless innings at the Beavers, allowing three hits. She struck out five and walked one, as she improved her personal record to a team-best 8-2 for her inaugural college season.
Senior
Bailey McClellan came on for the final time at Don Usher Field, to earn a three-inning save in relief of Rhodes. It was McClellan's team-leading third save of 2025.
It was the MUW seniors with the big bats in game two, as well.
Kaitlyn Bearley was 2-for-2 with a double, 3 runs batted in and a run scored.
Taylor Palmer capped her home career by going 2-for-3, with 2 RBI and a run scored. Sandlin was 2-for-3, scoring twice.
Rhodes helped herself from the plate by going 1-for-2, with a double, 2 runs scored and a RBI.
