MCU Opens Senior Weekend with William Woods Loss

It has been an emotional week for Mid-Continent University's baseball team, yet the Cougars took to the field on Friday night to open their final home series, hosting the Owls of William Woods University. The game marked the final night game of the 2014 regular season, and though the Cougars hung tough for much of the contest, the game got out of hand late.

William Woods (30-9, 15-7) scored in each of the last four innings, and Mid-Continent missed opportunities to score and apply pressure to the Owls, as the Cougars dropped the series opener 12-3.

William Woods tallied a pair of runs in the top of the first frame, but sophomore Jack Coleman settled down over the next four innings. At one point, Coleman retired nine in a row, and he hung four straight zeros on the board, keeping the Cougars in the game.

Meanwhile, the Mid-Continent offense generated baserunners, but were unable to capitalize on their chances. The Cougars loaded the bases with two out in the third but failed to score. They put a runner at third with one out in the fifth frame, but again, the Cougars were not successful in pushing a run across.

In the sixth inning, the Owls added two more runs, but the real seperation was generated in the seventh frame. William Woods scored four times in the seventh, including plating three unearned tallies, to build an 8-0 lead.

Mid-Continent, however, was not done, as the Cougars put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Uriel Hawkins doubled to drive in Adam Riley, and Dain Burress followed with a double of his own, plating Hawkins and Jay Singleton to trim the deficit to 8-3. Burress, however, was stranded at second base, and the Cougars rally was snuffed out.

From there, the Owls coasted in with the win, adding a run in the eighth and three in the ninth to provide the final margin of 12-3.

Dane Smith (7-1) tossed six and one-third innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits, three walks and six strikeouts in the win. Coleman (6-3) took the loss, allowing seven runs -- though only three were earned -- on eight hits, two free passes, and two punchouts. Offensively, Burress had two hits for Mid-Continent, picking up two RBIs as well. Hawkins also had a multi-hit game, and both players had a double. Hawkins scored a run and drove one in, and Riley and Singleton each had runs scored in the game.

The teams will wrap up their series on Saturday with a double-header, slated to begin at Noon. Saturday will also be Senior Day, with the Cougars' honoring their seniors between the games.