May 21, 2011

GULF SHORES, Ala. – (Box Score) A seven-run seventh inning highlighted William Woods’ (Mo.) (31-23) 12-4 win over Iowa Wesleyan (18-36) on the final day of pool play action at the 2011 NAIA Softball National Championship Saturday at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex.

The Owls pounded out 13 hits to overcome three errors and roll to their first win in pool play, while Iowa Wesleyan drops to 0-3 in pool play action.

Eight different William Woods’ batters recorded at least one hit, while five batters recorded multi-hit days.

Kelsey Schulte finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, Chelsea Loethen went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and both Audrey Crabtree and Courtney Wilkinson finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Ayla Serrano finished 1-for-3 with one RBI for Iowa Wesleyan, while Molly Ward scored a pair of runs.

The offensive outburst made a winner out of MacKenzie Bowden (17-12), who allowed four unearned runs on two hits in six innings of action, while striking out eleven.

Iowa Wesleyan actually built a 4-3 lead with a pair in the bottom of the fifth when they turned a leadoff walk into a run with a sac bunt and sac fly and added another run on Leigha Strong’s RBI-single.

The Owl bats answered in impressive fashion over the final two innings with a pair in the sixth and the seven-run seventh.

Crabtree put the team ahead for good with a two-run single in the sixth, while the seventh inning saw William Woods send twelve batters to the plate and record seven hits. After a quick out to start, seven straight hitters reached base. Loethen stroked a two-run single in the frame.

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