Eagles Sweep Philander Smith in Midweek Doubleheader
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Philander Smith (AR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
|
Williams Baptist (AR) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | X | 11 | 14 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Philander Smith (AR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
|
Williams Baptist (AR) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | X | 11 | 11 | 2 |
WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (2/24/26) – The Williams Baptist University baseball team had a pair of big games at the plate to sweep Philander Smith at Shell Field on Tuesday afternoon.
GAME ONE: Williams 11, Philander Smith 5
WBU posted 13 hits at the plate to beat take game one 11-5
Williams scored twice in the first inning after a PSU error opened the door.
WBU kept pressing in the second, plating three more runs on RBI hits from Lawson Aaron, Skylar Morrison and Mason Andrews to build a 5-0 cushion.
An RBI single by Gavin Mink in the third made it 6-0, and the fourth inning broke the game open. The Eagles scored three more in the frame, highlighted by another run-producing single from Andrews, an RBI knock from Kaeden Kennedy, and a run that came home on a wild pitch that put the Eagles ahead by nine.
Philander Smith finally broke through in the sixth with two RBI doubles that cut the deficit to 9-5.
WBU responded in the bottom of the sixth to quell any PSU comeback hopes when Mink came through again, with a two-run single to push the lead back to six at 11-5. The Eagles' bullpen closed out the final inning without allowing a run.
Williams Baptist pieced together the win with four pitchers. Gabe Dirnberger (1-1) earned the decision with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts, while Ben Bledsoe finished strong with 1.2 scoreless frames.
GAME TWO: Williams 11, Philander Smith 4
Williams struck first in the opening inning when Skylar Morrison launched a two-run homer to right, to bring home Lawson Aaron for a 2-0 lead. The Panthers answered in the second on a sac fly to trim the margin to 2-1, but the Eagles kept adding on. A wild pitch plated a run in the second, and another run scored in the third to make it 4-1 in favor of WBU.
Philander Smith pushed in the top of the fifth with a two-run double to cut the deficit to 4-3 and put pressure on Williams, but the Eagles responded with a seven-run fifth to break the game open and turn a one-run lead into an 11-3 advantage.
Philander Smith scratched across one more in the sixth, but the Eagles' bullpen closed the door from there. Blaine Sullinger struck out the side in the seventh to seal the win.
WBU used five pitchers in the win. Brody Bradley (1-0) earned the victory in the bullpen game, and Kaden Martin was especially sharp in relief with five strikeouts in two scoreless innings.
The doubleheader sweep moves WBU to 3-10 overall this season. Next, Williams will welcome Arkansas Baptist for its final non-conference weekend of the season on Feb. 26-27. First pitch of game one against ABC on Thursday is set for noon.