This afternoon the Harris-Stowe State University baseball team was back in action when they traveled to Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, to take on the Williams Baptist (Ark.) University Eagles in the first two games of a four game series. The Hornets split the doubleheader with the Eagles as they lost the first game by a final score of 8-3 and won the second game by a final score of 16-3 to improve to 5-7 on the season and 1-1 in the American Midwest Conference. With the split, the Eagles improve to 5-7 on the year and 1-1 in the AMC.
The Hornets put together five hits in the first game of the doubleheader. They got off to a fast start in the game as they scored one run in the top of the first to take an early 1-0 lead. However, the Eagles bounced back in the bottom of the frame and were able to score three runs of their own to take a 3-1 advantage. Harris-Stowe tied the game back up in the top of the second, but another two runs from the Eagles in the bottom half of the inning put them up 5-3 in the contest. Neither side was able to get anything going over the next few innings of the game, but a three run rally from the Eagles in the bottom of the sixth solidified the win for Williams Baptist.
Alex Williams (1-3) was the starting pitcher in the first game as he allowed seven hits and six earned runs while striking out three in 6.0 innings on the mound. Logan Dryden led the way at the plate for the Hornets as he went 2-for-4 with a run scored. In addition to Dryden, Will Crooker went 1-for-3 with an RBI, and Alek Sierra had an RBI to round out the top performers for the Hornets.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Hornets put together 16 hits in the win. They got off to a great start as they scored six runs in the top of the first to jump out to an early lead. The Eagles responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but a three run rally from the Hornets in the top of the second put them up 9-1 in the game. The Hornets extended their lead to 10-1 in the top of the sixth, but two runs from the Eagles in the bottom of the frame cut the Hornets lead to 10-3 late in the game. Harris-Stowe continued to put the ball in play as the game progressed and were able to score six runs in the final two innings to solidify the win.
Armando Sierra (1-2) was on the mound for this one as he allowed 11 hits and two earned runs while striking out seven in his first complete game of the season. Austin Palacios led the way for the Hornets as he went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. In addition to Palacios, Will Crooker went 3-for-5 with three RBI, Matt Janocik went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a solo homerun, and Devin Rader went 2-for-2 with a solo homerun to round out the top performers for the Hornets.