FULTON, Mo. – The W baseball came from behind to defeat Westminster College, 11-8, and win the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) series. The Owls improved to 17-13 overall (11-5 SLIAC), while the Blue Jays fell to 9-21 (4-11 SLIAC).
For the third time in a row versus WC, MUW had a two-run homer in the top of the first inning to open the game's scoring. And for the second day in a row, the early fireworks came off of the bat of
Zach Johnson (1-4), who deposited an 0-2 pitch over the right-center field wall for his team-leading ninth round-tripper, plating
Matthew Windham. An RBI single from
Hastings Gibson (1-4) gave the Owls a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, designated hitter
Baron Brack (1-3) smacked his sixth home run of the season. The two-run shot upped The W's cushion to 5-0.
Westminster came back with a air of runs each in the second and third innings, to draw to within one. In the top of the fifth, the Owls got two of those runs back, thanks to a two-run single by
Chase Marshall (3-5) that made it 7-4.
In the home half of the fourth, MUW starter
Chris Ellis allowed a single and a walk – both of which would eventually score - prompting a call to the bullpen and reliever
Will Carter. Carter got a ground out, that drove in a run, then allowed an RBI single. The Jays would add two more unearned runs in the fourth off Carter, taking an 8-7 lead.
In the Owls' at-bat in the fifth, the team loaded the bases via a
Michael O'Neill (1-5) double,
Bryson Barnes (4-5) single and
Swayze Rikard (1-4) hit by a pitch, with no outs. However, the next two batters struck out, bringing the dangerous Johnson to the plate. The Owls' right-fielder calmly took a four-pitch walk to force home the tying run, 8-8.
MUW would post the go-ahead runs in the sixth, started by a lead-off double by Marshall and walk to Gibson. After the Blue Jays called on their seventh (of an eventual eight) pitcher of the game, Barnes greeted the new hurler with a double through the left side of the infield that scored both Marshall and Gibson. A Windham sacrifice fly gave the Owls some extra insurance and the final 11-8 score.
After permitting the two unearned runs in the fourth, Carter settled in and finished the game with five shutout innings, Carter had four strikeouts and one walk, as he improved his personal record to 7-0 for the season.
