COLUMBUS, Miss. - The W softball split its final games of the regular season at home in a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) doubleheader with Spalding University. The Owls (17-14, 12-4 SLIAC) won the opener, 3-2, versus the Golden Eagles (21-18, 12-4 SLIAC), but dropped the second game, 12-0.
That left MUW in a three-way tie for second place in the final SLIAC standings. However, based on tie-breaker criteria, The W will be the No. 4-seed and host No. 5-seed Westminster College in a SLIAC tournament quarterfinal game on Tuesday (May 5) at Don Usher Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and fans are reminded that no passes will be accepted and it will be cash only for tickets at the gate ($5- Adult; $3- Students; MUW students free w/ ID; $3- Children & under 4 are free).
In game one, SU broke on top early by manufacturing a run in the top of the second. But the Owls would tie the game in the home half of the fourth, thanks to a sacrifice fly by
Kaylee Crawford that plated Breanna Byrd.
In the bottom of the sixth, freshman
Trinity Garvin cranked a leadoff double and was sacrificed to third. Then with two out, it was Crawford coming through again by slamming an 0-1 pitch to the fence in right for a double and driving home Garvin with the go-ahead run, 2-1.
In the seventh, Spalding utilized a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly to knot matters at 2-2 and setting the stage for MUW's big finish. Freshman shortstop
Avery Johnston, a former Columbus Christian Academy player, led off MUW's at-bat with a triple to right. After a lineout,
Madison York stepped into the box and, on the first pitch she saw, laced the walk-off, RBI single, for the 3-2 final score.
Brooklyn Rhodes evened her personal record at 6-6 in the circle, with the complete game win. Rhodes allowed five hits. She struck out four and walked just one batter.
Gillion Eaves (2-4), Garvin (2-3), and Byrd (2-3) all had multi-hit games for The W.
Game two was less-than-memorable for the Owls, as the hosts were held to a pair of singles – by Eaves and
Addison Owen – in the run-rule shortened game.
Garvin (6-4) absorbed the loss from the circle. Garvin was chased after 2.0 innings, allowing five runs, three of which were earned.
Rachel Etheridge was charged with even earned runs across the next 3.0 frames.
