William Carey University softball team won all three games against Blackburn College over the weekend at CCA Field, improving to 8-5 overall and 3-0 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, according to team officials.
The Owls secured two tight victories on Friday, winning 6-5 and 5-3, before dominating the series finale 14-7 on Saturday.
The first game was notable for weather delays. Play was interrupted after a heavy rainstorm with the Owls leading 5-3 in the fifth inning. Weather conditions caused a delay of nearly two hours, but William Carey rallied after play resumed. The Owls tied the game in the bottom of the fifth and took the lead in the eighth, with sophomore Swayze Rikard scoring the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jay Marbutt.
William Carey pitcher Chris Ellis earned the win with four scoreless innings of relief, striking out three. Starter Campbell McCluney pitched five innings before the rain delay, recording five strikeouts and two walks.
In the second game of the doubleheader, Blackburn led 1-0 until the sixth inning. The Owls then scored four runs in the sixth, fueled by key hits from Marbutt and Johnson, and extended their lead with an RBI single by Chase Marshall in the eighth. Robby Canten earned the win in relief, and Will Cater recorded his first save of the season with a key play in the ninth.
The series concluded Sunday with a 14-7 victory. William Carey led 3-1 after three innings but fell behind 7-3 after six. The Owls responded with a six-run rally in the sixth, highlighted by Marshall’s second home run of the season. They added three insurance runs in the eighth to secure the win. Marshall finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, leading an 11-hit team effort. The game saw a total of 12 pitchers used between both teams.
