Eagles Open AMC Play With Comeback Win Over Trojans

PARAGOULD, Ark. (3/5/26) – The Williams Baptist University baseball team opened American Midwest Conference play with a 15-14 comeback win over Hannibal-LaGrange at Bruce Hunt Field on Thursday night.

Mari Thomas led the way for the Eagles at the dish going 2-for-2 with five RBI and a home run.  Gavin Mink also posted a pair of hits in the contest.

Hannibal-LaGrange struck first with a three-run top of the first, but Williams answered immediately in the bottom half, using a balk and two RBI walks to tie it 3-3. The Eagles nudged ahead 5-3 in the second on a run-producing fielder's choice off the bat of Lawson Aaron and a wild pitch.

The visitors seized control with a six-run third inning to go up 9-5 behind a few walks and hit by pitches.  HLGU recorded no hits in the frame.

The Trojans kept adding to push the margin to 13-7 after a four-run fifth. An RBI single in the sixth made it 14-9, giving HLGU what looked like breathing room.

Down five in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles struck back.  A bases-loaded walk to Skylar Morrison brought home Will Riley to cut the deficit to four.  One batter later, Mari Thomas smashed a two-out grand slam to left field to tie the game at 14-14

After the grand slam, WBU got two scoreless innings from Connor Brinkley out of the bullpen, setting the stage for the bottom of the ninth.

Gavin Mink led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Lawson Aaron grounded out to move him to third, and Brinkley ended the ballgame with a line drive RBI single to right field.

Brinkley (W, 1-0) gave himself his first win of the season on the mound with a pair of hit-less innings after moving to the mound from shortstop.

The win moves WBU to 8-10 overall and 1-0 in American Midwest Conference play.  The Eagles and Trojans will wrap up the three-game series at Shell Field on Friday, March 6 with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.