Eagles Sweep Cougars in AMC Opening Doubleheader

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (3/21/26) – The Williams Baptist University softball team opened American Midwest Conference Play with a dramatic doubleheader sweep of Columbia on Saturday afternoon at the WBU Softball Field.

GAME ONE - Williams 3, Columbia 0

Emberlin Caldwell (W, 9-3) led the Lady Eagles to the win in game one behind a complete-game shutout on 104 pitches.  Caldwell allowed six hits to the Cougars, but maneuvered around trouble to keep CC off the board.

The only scoring in the ballgame came in the third inning.  After a lead-off walk and a stolen base from Kaelyn Gooch, Brooke Scott singled home what ended up being the deciding run.

Later in the inning with two outs, Addison Foster smashed her sixth homer of the year over the left field fence to extend the WBU lead to 3-0.

The Cougars threatened with runners on second and third after a pair of hits to lead off the fifth inning, but Caldwell induced a groundout and a flyout to strand the runners and keep the lead intact.

Caldwell finished up her eighth complete game of the season with a perfect seventh inning to secure the game one win.

GAME TWO - Williams 5, Columbia 4

Columbia scored the game's first run with an RBI single in the top of the first.  WBU responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single from Ashlyn Michael to tie the game, then brought home two more on an error to go ahead 3-1.

CC cut into the deficit with an RBI single in the second to make it 3-2.  The Cougars were held off the board until putting up three straight hits in the fifth inning to bring home two and take a 4-3 lead.  

Columbia threatened to extend the lead with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh, but McKenna Bittle induced the groundout to end the inning and keep the deficit at one.

Williams put its lead-off runner on with a hit by pitch to start the second, but two quick outs put Columbia in the driver's seat.  Addison Foster singled up the middle to put the game-winning run at first.

After a pitching change, Ashlyn Michael smacked a two-run single to right field to win the game and secure the sweep for WBU.

McKenna Bittle (W, 2-0) earned the win in the circle for WBU after shutting down the Cougars in the final two innings of the ballgame.  Morgan Garner tossed 5.0 innings to start the game with three earned runs.

The Eagles move to 18-8 overall and  2-0 in AMC play.  The Lady Eagles return to the diamond on Friday, March 27, on the road at Central Baptist.  First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. from Conway, Ark.