LaGRANGE, Ga. – The W baseball came out on the short end of an offensive free-for-all at LaGrange College, 15-9. The Owls (3-4) and Panthers (6-3) not only combined for 24 runs – with another 23 runners total left on-base - but banged out a combined 30 hits (15 each), as well.
 
Things started out well for MUW, as senior centerfielder, and leadoff batter, Matthew Windham (3-5) slugged his first home run of the season three pitches into the game. In the home half of the first, LaGrange tied it at 1-1, and then added a run in the third to lead, 2-1.
 
In the top of the fourth frame, an RBI single by Windham evened matters. Then, a two-run single by Zach Johnson (3-5) put the guests up, 4-2, as it stood through the five full innings.
 
But what was a relatively sedate and normal baseball game flipped in the sixth. To use a classic video game analogy, it went from a game of "Pong" to playing "Asteroids" (if you know, you know).
 
In the sixth and seventh innings, the Panthers posted five runs in each. MUW got one in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring single by catcher Michael O'Neil (2-4), to trail, 12-5. And just when LaGrange might have been feeling "safe," MUW erupted for a four-spot in the eighth, thanks to an RBI double from Baron Brack (3-5), a two-run double from Chase Marshall (2-5), and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Swayze Rikard (1-4), making it a competitive 12-9 score.
 
LAG answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the eighth, for the 15-9 final total. But the Owls kept it interesting in the ninth, by loading the bases before the final out was recorded.
 
On a day when a total of 11 pitchers were employed (six by MUW and five by the Panthers), and earned run averages took a beating (each team was saddled with nine earned runs), it was MUW reliever Josh Mackey (0-1), the second hurler of the day for the Owls, who took the loss.
 
The W will next be in action on Friday (Feb. 27) at Belhaven University, in Pearl, Miss.