Eagles Sweep UHSP in Friday Doubleheader Behind Walk-Off Win

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (3/20/26) – The Williams Baptist University baseball team clinched a series win over UHSP with a doubleheader sweep on Friday afternoon at Shell Field.

GAME ONE - Williams 7, UHSP 6

Game one started as a pitcher's duel between WBU's Gabe Dirnberger and UHSP's Barrett Lohman.  UHSP scored the first pair of runs in the top of the third on a two-run triple to take the lead.

WBU did not get on the board until the fifth when Gavin Mink sent a sacrifice fly into center field to score Luke Bullins to cut the deficit to 2-1.  In the next at-bat, Mari Thomas sent a line drive shot over the left field fence to put Williams ahead for the first time, 3-2.

UHSP responded in the top of the sixth with a solo homer to tie the game at 3-3, but Parker Cook put WBU back on top with a pinch-hit RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-3.

The Eutectics battled back in the seventh with three runs to take a 6-4 lead late.  Down two runs, the Eagles kicked off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and a two-run longball from Gavin Mink to tie the game at 6-6.

Mari Thomas drew a walk, and Lawson Aaron followed up with a hit to put two runners on.  Connor Brinkley bunted the runners over to second and third, and Skylar Morrison ended the game with a hit to third base to complete the comeback and give WBU the series-opening win.

Gabe Dirnberger pitched to a no-decision in 6.0 innings of work with a season-high 11 strikeouts.  He is the sixth pitcher in WBU history to fan 11 in a game.  Connor Brinkley (W, 3-0) got the win on the mound for WBU.

GAME TWO - Williams 11, UHSP 8

The Eagles struck early in game two with a two-run homer from Lawson Aaron in the bottom of the first.  UHSP mounted a solo homer of their own on the board to cut the lead to 2-1 in the second.

Williams kept adding on in the bottom of the second with a six-run frame behind RBIs from Mink, Aaron, and Morrison to go ahead 8-1.

After the Eutectics got runs back in the fourth and fifth, WBU pushed the lead back out to seven in the seventh inning with a sac fly from Morrison and an RBI double from Mason Andrews to make it 10-3.

UHSP did not go away in the late innings, scoring three in the eighth to cut the lead to four.  Thomas drove in another run for WBU to push the lead back out to five, but after a balk and an error, UHSP brought the tying run to the plate with two on base.

Despite the late scare, Brady Swims secured the final out of the game on the mound to take the series win.

Dawson Cloud (W, 2-4) earned the win on the mound with 5.0 innings of three-run ball.  Kaden Martin, Brady Barr, Brock McNeil, Cooper Thomas, and Brady Swims all made relief appearances.

The wins move WBU to 17-12 overall and 6-2 in AMC play.  The Eagles and Eutectics will wrap up the three-game series on Saturday, March 21, at noon from Shell Field.