Braves Avoid Season Series Sweep

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Thanks to a pair of big innings, Ottawa (28-12, 16-7 KCAC) rolled to a 13-3 win over Avila (18-22, 9-14 KCAC) on Tuesday afternoon at The Z in Kansas City. Avila was unable to secure the season series sweep of the Braves, or their first KCAC series sweep this season, but the Eagles had already won the season series against their local rivals for the first time since both teams were part of the KCAC.

Avila's two wins over Ottawa this year were impressive, tense, one-run wins. This time, Ottawa looked primed for some revenge, and a red-hot Braves team avenged those prior two losses and ran their win streak to nine by dispatching the Eagles in their third attempt this season.

A six-run second inning set the tone for the Braves. Ottawa loaded the bases with nobody out and steadily pushed across the six runs on the strength of only one extra-base hit. The Eagles didn't go down quietly however: back to back doubled in the third from Travis Curry and Reyes Willis got the Eagles on the board, and after Zach Spradlin tripled in a run and scored another in the fourth Avila got those two runs right back in the bottom half off RBI singles from Willis and Jacob Nevels.

After a rocky start to the game for the Eagles, Holton Miller pitched quite well all things considered, coming into a jam in the second inning and ultimately throwing 5.2 innings out of the pen, allowing three of his own runs to score but ultimately keeping the Braves at bay.

At least, until the ninth inning, where Ottawa struck for five more runs, capped by a two-run home run from Robby Williams, to put the game beyond all doubt in a 13-3 Ottawa victory. Willis, Nevels and Jack Virden all recorded two hits for the Eagles; Ricky Dober threw out a pair of would-be basestealers. Reigning KCAC Player of the Week Spradlin led the charge for the Braves, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored.

Up next is potentially Avila's toughest test of the season: a road trip to ranked McPherson for a three-game set. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 20 in the NAIA but did just get swept by Ottawa last weekend; Avila will play a doubleheader in McPherson on Saturday starting at noon, with the single game to follow on Sunday at 1 PM.