William Penn Wraps Up Spring Break with 1-3 Record Over Last Two Days
Kissimmee, Fla.–The Statesmen softball team picked up one more victory as it closed out its spring break week in the Sunshine State Wednesday and Thursday.
WPU (6-6) opened Wednesday with an 8-3 loss to Keiser (Fla.) before dropping a 5-4 decision to Florida National in nine innings. The Statesmen then fell once more to Keiser, 6-5 on Thursday, but closed out its week with a 6-4 defeat of St. Thomas (Fla.).
KU 8, WPU 3
William Penn gave up a run in the third and four more in the fourth before finally getting on the board in the bottom half as Lexi Resa (Jr., Liberty, Mo., Biology) lifted a shot over the left-field fence for her first home run in a Statesmen uniform.
Rebecca De Leon (Fr., Ceres, Calif.) also double home Valeria Quiroga (Fr., San Benito, Texas, Sociology) as the navy and gold trimmed the deficit to three. It would unfortunately be the closest the squad would come as KU tallied three unanswered over the next two frames.
WPU was outhit 13-7 with the final base knock coming via Charley Geguzis (Fr., Williamsburg, Iowa) as her two-bagger drove in Abby Sweet (Jr., Exline, Iowa) for the game’s last run. Seven separate players had one hit apiece.
Dakota Kulis (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Biology) earned the start, but was relieved by Peyton Parker (Jr., LaPorte City, Iowa, Sports Management) in the fourth inning. Parker then held her own, allowing just three unearned runs on three hits in 3 1/3 frames, while striking out three.
FNU 5, WPU 4
The Statesmen went back-and-forth with the Conquistadors, but could not make a 9-7 edge in hits hold up.
The team trailed 1-0 entering the fifth, but scored twice. Unfortunately, FNU responded with its own two-spot. The navy and gold, led by Nayely Martinez (Fr., Carson, Calif.) who was 3-for-4 with a double, forced extra innings with a run in the seventh and then took the lead with another tally in the top of the eighth.
The Conquistadors had the final say, however, getting a run in the eighth to stay alive and then winning in walk-off style in the ninth.
Resa added two hits, while the pitching duo of Kelsey Lint (Fr., Brooklyn, Iowa, Elementary Education) and Parker both worked over four innings. Lint had two strikeouts and two walks in four frames; she allowed just one unearned run on three hits. Parker claimed the loss as she struck out one (two walks), while permitting four runs (two unearned) on four hits in 4 1/3 innings of action.
KU 6, WPU 5
Less than 24 hours removed from a setback against the Seahawks, the Statesmen sought revenge and nearly had it. Unfortunately, WPU could not stop KU from posting some of its own seventh-inning heroics.
William Penn struck first as Lexi Riccardi (Sr., Redwood City, Calif., Biology) doubled home Resa and Quiroga in the top of the first inning.
Keiser answered with one in the bottom half, but the navy and gold got that run back with a solo homer via Quiroga. After hitting three bombs as a freshman, Wednesday’s roundtripper is the first of her sophomore campaign.
KU evened things up in the third and claimed its first advantage in the fifth, one half inning after WPU failed to score any runs despite having the based loaded with just one out.
Both sides went down quietly in the sixth and the Statesmen were in danger of doing the same in the seventh until with one on and two outs, the team rallied with a vengeance. Riccardi, De Leon, and Rachael Haessly (Jr., Alpine, Calif., Biology) all singled, taking the team from down one to up one at 5-4.
The Seahawks, however, would not be so easy to put away, posting their own two-out rally to claim victory.
William Penn tied KU at 12 hits each with De Leon guiding the way at 3-for-4. Quiroga was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Riccardi was also 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. Resa finished 2-for-4 as well.
De Leon worked four innings as the starter, but Parker had the better outing out of the bullpen. Despite taking the loss, Parker gave up only one run (earned) on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. She struck out one and walked one.
WPU 6, STU 4
The Statesmen, who outhit the Bobcats 11-8, fell behind 1-0 after one half inning, but drew even again with a De Leon single that plated Quiroga.
Martinez’s single brought in Jayde Tucker (So., Los Alamos, N.M.) in the second to give the navy and gold their first advantage. It was short-lived as STU went back ahead 3-2 in the fourth.
Quiroga enjoyed the leisurely stroll around the bases from the previous game so much, she decided to try it again. This time, however, she brought along a couple teammates as her three-run homer also scored Martinez and Avery Rayos (Jr., Henderson, Nev., Biology).
Rayos then capped WPU’s scoring in the Sunshine State with a fifth-inning single that brought in pinchrunner Shiloh Cunningham (Fr., Lynnville, Iowa, Biology). The Bobcats narrowed the margin to two in their final at-bats, but Kulis finished off the complete-game win with a groundout. Although the freshman did not collect a strikeout (two walks), she managed to scatter the eight hits in the win.
Quiroga headlined the offense with a perfect showing, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored (also walked twice). Martinez finished 2-for-3, and Haessly was 2-for-4.
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Sunday for its home and league opener as it hosts Culver-Stockton in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.
