pitched the eighth, stayed on to pitch the ninth and allowed a couple of runs, but locked the rest of the 

game down to advance CBC to tomorrow. 

The Mustangs will play the Spartans of Missouri Baptist tomorrow in another elimination game at 

CarShield Field. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and the winner would have to play again immediately 

following the conclusion of that game. 

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BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – (Box Score) Blue Mountain’s Tracy Rice picked up her first victory as Lady Topper head coach Saturday, as she watched her team knock off Williams Baptist, 82-77.

Blue Mountain burst out of the gate in the first quarter, scorching WBU for 24 points, with Jade Wells (JR/Memphis, Tenn.) opening the scoring with an easy bucket, followed by a deuce and three-pointer from Kandice Rcks (JR/Muscle Shoals, Ala.).

BMC led 24-12 at the end of the first, then followed it up with a 42-31 lead at the break, and eventually would grab its biggest lead in the third quarter, up 20 on a three by Lindsay Hall (JR/Ingomar, Miss.).

Williams hit its stride in the fourth, cutting the Lady Topper lead to 68-64 with five minutes left in the game, but it wouldn’t be enough, as Blue Mountain would seal the game on free-throws by Jada Taylor (JR/Collierville, Tenn.), Hall and Olivia Chadwell (JR/Loretto, Tenn.).

Mackenzie Lane finished the game with 20 points to lead all scorers, followed by Chadwell with 19.  Ricks chipped in 18 and Hall had 10.

Tasia Bland led Williams Baptist with 18 points.

“I’m so proud of how our team responded after a two-week quarantine,” Rice said following the game.  “We spent a lot of time during the break working on mental toughness.  It was great to see it pay off.”

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SEARCY – Harding baseball swept both games of a doubleheader Tuesday against Williams Baptist to run its winning streak to eight games. The Bisons won 10-0 and 6-5 in afternoon games at Jerry Moore Field.

Harding, now 15-5, returns to Great American Conference action this weekend against Southeastern Oklahoma. Williams Baptist, a member of the NAIA American Midwest Conference, has lost seven straight and fell to 9-11.

Four Harding pitchers combined for the team’s third shutout of the season in game one, allowing only two hits. Sophomore Dylan Adcock (2-0) did not allow a walk and struck out five over five innings to earn the win. Jackson Saylor, Tyler Turner, and Thomas Barbara, all making their Harding debuts, combined to get the last six outs.

Harding’s offense had 12 hits off three Williams Baptist pitchers. Cody Smith led the way with a 3-for-4 outing and drove in two. Luke Van Dover and Connor Kelly had two hits each, and Miles Humphreys scored three times.

Harding scored all its runs in three innings, plating four in the third, four in the fifth and two in the sixth.

Williams Baptist starter Rees Dunlap (0-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Michael Chrisman started and ended the scoring for Harding in game two. He led off the bottom of the first for the Bisons with a solo home run to right, his second of the season. In the seventh, with the score tied 5-5, he singled to lead off the inning and scored on Kelly’s gapper to left center for the game-winning run.

Harding had a 5-1 lead after four, but the bullpen struggled to hold it, and Williams Baptist tied the game with three runs in the top of the sixth.

Brent Southerland (2-0), Harding’s third reliever, shut down the Eagles over the last 1 2/3 innings to earn the win. Williams Baptist reliever Jonathan Estes (0-1) took the loss, giving up Harding’s run in the seventh.

Chrisman and Kelly both had two hits for the Bisons. Chrisman scored three runs, and Kelly drove in two.
Nick Allred was 2-for-3 with a run and two RBIs to lead Williams Baptist.

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WALNUT RIDGE –  Shackeel Butters recorded a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Williams Baptist University men’s basketball team to an 89-68 victory. The win came in front of a capacity crowd in WBU’s annual homecoming game.

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WALNUT RIDGE – Williams Baptist University men’s soccer team over the Spartans of Missouri Baptist University on Tuesday evening.

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WALNUT RIDGE – Looking to get back to .500 on the season, Central Baptist College traveled to Williams Baptist University on Tuesday for an American Midwest Conference doubleheader with the Eagles. CBC (11-13, 4-4 AMC) split the doubleheader, taking the seven-inning contest 7-2 before falling in the second game 5-4 to WBU (9-14, 3-8 AMC).​

Justin Vincent (SR/Benton, Ark.) and Dillon Bonee (JR/Savannah, Tenn.) were the starters in the two games. Jay French(SO/Magnolia, Ark.) homered in game one, while Austin Kuchinski (SR/Powder Springs, GA) made history in game two by breaking the program RBI record.

GAME ONE – CBC 7, WILLIAMS 2 (SEVEN INNINGS)

Neither team scored in the first two innings and CBC grabbed the lead in the third when Trynt Tompkins(JR/Williamsville, Mo.), who led off the inning with a double, scored on a Ryan Guyton (SR/Cordova, TN) single to make it 1-0. The Mustangs increased the lead to 2-0 in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from French that scored Kelvin Volquez (JR/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic). Vincent kept zeros on the board through four and CBC increased the lead to 5-0 in the fifth courtesy of a two-run single by Kuchinski and a Baker Wilson (SR/Harrison, Ark.) groundout that scored Michael Smith. Vincent allowed a couple of runs in the fifth, but CBC still held a 5-2 lead headed to the bottom half when French hit a two-run home run, his second of the season, to right field to bring the score to its final margin. Vincent earned his third win of the season, going six innings and allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out five. Caleb Muns (FR/Benton, Ark.) threw a perfect seventh to end the game.

GAME TWO – WILLIAMS 5, CBC 4

Game two started like game one, with neither team scoring for the first two innings. The Eagles took the lead in third with a pair of runs, and CBC cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth. Wilson was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to second on a single by Trae Bobo. He would then score on a single by Volquez to make it 2-1. The Mustangs took the lead in the fifth, when, with one out, Kuchinski hit a double to right-center to score Guyton and Jacob Rose (SO/Searcy, Ark.) to make it 3-2. The RBIs by Kuchinski broke the program RBI record (150) previously held by Myles Hiebert (148). The Mustangs would add a run in the seventh courtesy of a double by Charley Harber (SR/Crosby, Texas) and led 4-2 headed to the bottom half before Williams got a three-run home run with one out to take a 5-4 lead. CBC threatened in the eighth, but couldn’t push a run across before going down in order in the ninth to end the game. Bonee was the tough-luck loser, going seven strong and allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with seven Ks. Muns once again finished the game, throwing a perfect eighth.

UP NEXT

CBC returns to the field this weekend in AMC play when they travel to St. Louis, Mo., for a three-game tilt with Harris-Stowe State. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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WALNUT RIDGE – The Williams Baptist University women’s basketball team lost 87-78 to 25th ranked Lindenwood University-Belleville on Saturday. The American Midwest Conference contest was played in Belleville, Ill.

The Lady Eagles competed with the ranked Lady Lynx for much of the night, but a slow second quarter proved to be the difference. LU-B led 21-19 after the first, but outscored WBU 24-13 in the second. This gave them a 13 point lead at halftime. Williams made halftime adjustments, outscoring the Lady Lynx 44-42 in the second half, but it was not enough for the win.

Five Lady Eagles reached double digits in scoring in the loss led by Ashlyn Ellis and Kate Junkersfeld. The Pocahontas, Ark., natives scored 17 points each. Teara Walker followed them with 15 points, while Melanie McKuin and Khiandra Perry scored 10 points each off the bench.

Williams shot 48 percent (30-of-62) for the game, including 55 percent from 3-point range.

This was the first AMC game of the season for WBU, and they will play an out of conference game next. They host Blue Mountain College on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. It will be the second time the teams play each other this season, as the Lady Eagles lost 68-61 in their season opener.

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WALNUT RIDGE – The Williams Baptist University men’s basketball team spent Homecoming bringing the crowd to its feet, as they defeated the Majors from Millsaps College 83-78. The Eagles improved to 2-1 with the victory in WBU’s Southerland-Mabee Center.

It was a slow start for WBU, as Millsaps opened the game with a 9-0 lead over the first 2:29 of play. However, Williams settled down, responding with a 7-0 run highlighted by a Travon Cobb 3-point field goal to cut the lead down to 9-7.

Williams’ first lead of the game came with 11:55 left in the first half after a free throw from Alex Morris. The Eagles would not relinquish the lead the rest of the half. They extended the lead as high as nine before taking a 36-32 lead into halftime.

The Majors battled back in the second half, tying the game at 59 with 8:59 remaining. WBU responded by going on a 12-0 run to take a commanding 71-59 lead, allowing them to take control for the rest of the contest.

The Eagles forced 24 turnovers, scoring 21 points off of them. Meanwhile, WBU committed only 13 turnovers in the game.

Four Eagles reached double-figures in scoring, led by Briheam Anthony’s 19 points. The senior also led the team with five assists. Devante Carolina scored 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also contributed defensively with five steals.

Andrew Littleton came off the bench to score 14 in 20 minutes of action, while Travon Cobb scored 10. Shackeel Butters scored nine points, while grabbing eight boards to lead the team.

The game will not go on Millsaps’ record as it was an exhibition for the NCAA Division III school.

Next up, the Eagles will play another NCAA Division III opponent in the University of the Ozarks. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on November 6. It will be played in Clarksville, Ark.

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Audra Nailling set the all-time kills record for Williams Baptist University in the second set of a four set loss to Lindenwood University-Belleville on Saturday. The Lady Eagles’ season came to end with the 3-1 (22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 14-25) loss.

Nailling came into the match needing just nine kills to set the new career school record, and it did not take the senior long to get there. She finished the match with a team-high 25, giving her 1,074 for her career. Nailling leaves the school with the single-season and career record for kills.

The Paragould, Ark., native, as well as McKenzie Hopkins, were honored in a pre-game ceremony, as this was the final match in each of their careers. Hopkins, a Piggott, Ark., native finished her final match with four kills, one assist and three block assists.

“I recruited both seniors when they were in high school, and did not get to coach them until I came back to volleyball this year,” head coach Lee Moore said. “It was a huge blessing for me that I was able to come back and coach their final year. They both brought so much to the team in different ways. I thank them for their contributions. They are vital to the improvement and success we have seen this year.”

A win would have seen Williams make the playoffs with  a seven seed, but the loss dropped WBU into ninth place. The Lady Eagles will not make the tournament.

After finishing in last place in the conference a season ago, Williams improved three places in Moore’s first season back at the helm. The team finished with a win percentage of .555 in home games this year, and will look to take another step forward in 2019.

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WALNUT RIDGE – The Williams Baptist University wrestling team enters the 2018-19 season tied for the 10th in the national rankings. The NAIA released its Coaches’ Preseason Top 20 Poll on Wednesday.

The Eagles finished in third place nationally in 2017-18 season.

“We have a lot of hard work to put in. We lost a lot of talent last season and have holes to fill, but I am confident in our process and training. I know we will have guys step up by the end of the year,” head coach Todd Allen said.

Williams has now been ranked in the top 20 for twenty straight polls. The last time WBU was outside the top 20 was Dec. 9, 2015. The team’s highest ever ranking was three, which they have reached on six occasions.

Seven individuals are ranked in their respective weight divisions.

All-American Nicholas Drendel is the highest ranked Eagle, coming in at fourth in the 157 lb. weight class. The 133 lb. weight division has two WBU representatives. Tanner Irwin is ranked seventh, followed by Jaitlan Pitts at eight.

Another All-American comes in ranked ninth in the 184 lb. division. Jeff Haley enters the year ranked after redshirting in 2017-18.

Kyle Lee joins Drendel in the 157 lb. division, ranking 11th. Meanwhile, Maleek Canton enters his first year of competition at WBU ranked 17th in the 197 lb. weight class, while Tyler Giorgini holds the 20th ranking in the 285 lb. division.

“I have seen a tremendous amount of growth off the wrestling mat this year. Typically that progress off the mat translates directly into success on the mat. Our guys want to prove that it is not one person or one success that make up this team, but that we are fighters and we will meet a challenge head on,” Allen added.

The Eagles were picked by the American Midwest Conference coaches to finish first in the AMC this season. WBU has won the championship in all three seasons the conference has sponsored the sport.

Individually, two Williams wrestlers are picked to win their respective weight classes in the conference. Drendel and Irwin are favored in their divisions.

“I am excited to see outside competition this year. We have a lot of guys that need to prove themselves this year and I believe they will. It will be another exciting year,” Allen concluded.

Williams opens its season on November 3 at the Patriot Open in Williamsburg, Ky. The event will begin at 7 a.m.

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