W Baseball rallies to beat Westminster 11-8, wins series

The W baseball team rallied from behind to defeat Westminster College 11-8 and clinch the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series, according to team sources.

The Owls improved to 17-13 overall and 11-5 in conference play. Westminster dropped to 9-21 overall and 4-11 in the SLIAC.

MUW took an early lead with a two-run homer in the top of the first inning, marking the third straight game versus Westminster with such an opening blast. Zach Johnson, who went 1-for-4, homered over the right-center field wall for his team-leading ninth home run, driving in Matthew Windham.

Hastings Gibson added an RBI single, giving the Owls a 3-0 lead. In the second inning, designated hitter Baron Brack hit his sixth home run of the season, extending the lead to 5-0. Westminster responded with runs in both the second and third innings, narrowing the gap to one.

In the fifth inning, Chase Marshall delivered a two-run single that pushed MUW’s lead to 7-4. The Blue Jays chipped away, scoring two unearned runs in the fourth off reliever Will Carter, who had taken over for starter Chris Ellis after he allowed a single and a walk that scored runs. Westminster then led 8-7 after the fourth.

In the fifth, MUW loaded the bases with no outs. Johnson drew a four-pitch walk, forcing home the tying run. The Owls took the lead for good in the sixth, with Marshall and Gibson scoring on hits by Bryson Barnes and Windham, respectively. Windham’s sacrifice fly added an insurance run, sealing the 11-8 victory.

Will Carter settled after giving up unearned runs in the fourth. He finished the game with five shutout innings, four strikeouts and one walk, earning his seventh win of the season.

Source: Original Article