Owls’ softball season ends with loss in SLIAC quarterfinals

Columbus, Miss. — Mississippi University for Women’s softball season ended with a 10-2 loss to Webster University in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinals at Don Usher Field.

The No. 4 seed Owls (17-15) faced the No. 5 seed Blue Jays (17-21) in their third postseason appearance as a conference member, but their first on home turf. The game was closer than the final score suggests, with MUW leading 2-1 through four innings before Webster pulled away late, scoring four runs in the fifth and five in the seventh.

MUW took an early lead when Brianna Byrd drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly in the second inning, bringing home Trinity Garvin. Webster tied the game in the third, but Addison Owen responded with an RBI single to give the Owls a 2-1 advantage. Owen finished 2-for-4, the only MUW player with multiple hits. The team recorded six total singles, while Webster amassed 11 hits, including four doubles.

Starting pitcher Brooklyn Rhodes took the loss, going five innings and allowing five runs, three earned, with five strikeouts and two walks. Garvin pitched 1.2 innings, surrendering five earned runs, and Rachel Etheridge threw 0.1 innings as MUW’s third pitcher of the day.

The Owls’ season concludes with a record of 17-15, after their third straight appearance in the conference tournament.

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