DONALDSON - Austin Howard and Tate Hall combined to throw a three-hitter Monday as the Woodlawn Bears knocked off the Ouachita Warriors, 5-1, in 8-2A conference action at Donaldson.
The game pitted the top two teams in the 8-2A standings against one another. The Bears, who have already clinched the outright conference championship, lead the league at 11-0 and 23-3 overall. Ouachita fell to 7-4 with a conference game left against Parkers Chapel, which sits in third at 6-5 as of Tuesday.
Owen Stover hit a two-run homerun in the top of the first to give the Bears an early lead as Ouachita struggled to get much going on the base paths. The Warriors had just two baserunners over the first four innings, one off a single in the second and another off an error in the third.
The Bears, meanwhile, put at least one runner on in each inning, but it wasn't until the fifth that they were able to add to their two-run lead when Jayden Wilmoth cracked a two-out single to send Garrett Weatherford home to make it 3-0.
Woodlawn's final two runs came in the top of the seventh when Wilmoth doubled with one out, Dylan Butler singled and Jase Bishop followed with a two-run single to make it 5-0.
The Warriors did load the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh before a sacrifice fly scored their only run. Hall, pitching in relief of Howard, got the next batter to fly out to end the game.
Howard picked up the pitching victory after allowing just one hit with no walks over 4-1/3rd innings. He had up six strikeouts over that span. Hall threw the final
2-1/3rd innings, allowing two hits and walking one while striking out two.
Wilmoth had the hot stick Monday going 3-for-4 with a double and one RBI. Bishop continued his late season surge going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. In addition to Stover's homer, Butler, Howard, Hall, Brayden Jones and Jaxson Raney also had hits.
Woodlawn 11, LR Central 5...
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