Statesmen Upset Top Seed Grand View, Advance in Championship Bracket

Cedar Rapids–A three-run triple in the sixth inning by Lexi Riccardi (Sr., Redwood City, Calif., Biology) sparked an improbable upset victory over #1 seed Grand View as the William Penn softball team opened up the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Thursday.

WPU (20-28) knocked off the Vikings 4-1 to advance in the championship bracket. The navy and gold will now meet #4 seed and host Mount Mercy (22-12) Friday at noon. WPU and MMU split their four-game series this spring.

Pitching was queen early on Thursday as both sides produced just two baserunners through five innings of action. Riccardi pounded a triple into right field with two outs in the top of the fourth, but was stranded there.

Defensive miscues allowed the Statesmen to get on the board first with three runs in the top of the sixth frame. Lexi Resa (Jr., Liberty, Mo., Biology) and Nayely Martinez (Fr., Carson, Calif.) both got on the pads via one-out errors. Valeria Quiroga (Fr., San Benito, Texas, Sociology) was intentionally walked (also drew a base on balls in the first) to load the bases.

Riccardi then delivered the biggest hit of her career, smoking her second triple, this time into the right-center gap to bring home her trio of teammates. The two triples ties a school record for most in a game; she is the sixth player to accomplish the feat since 1999 and the first since 2012.

Peyton Parker (Jr., LaPorte City, Iowa, Sports Management) was motoring along fine through five innings, but got into a bit of trouble herself as the Vikings (37-10) managed back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the sixth frame. After a wild pitch, she permitted a sacrifice fly to score GVU’s first and only run, but then induced a pair of flyouts to right fielder Jayde Tucker (So., Los Alamos, N.M., Sociology) to end the threat.

Tucker then helped her team tally an insurance run in the seventh, reaching on a one-out infield single. She moved to second on Grand View’s third and final error and eventually scored on a passed ball. Emily Nichols (Fr., Hurdland, Mo., Biology), who also singled in the inning, was stranded at third.

The three-run advantage was more than enough for Parker as she recorded a flyout and two groundouts to close out the victory. The junior allowed the one earned run on four hits in her complete game. She struck out just one, but did not walk a batter as she bested Hannah Pals, who prior to the game was announced as the Heart’s Co-Pitcher of the Year.

WPU matched Grand View with four base knocks as well with Riccardi’s 2-for-3 topping the list.

“With everything this team has been through this year, they stepped up and played a great,” Head Coach Mike Christner said. “Peyton Parker threw a great game and we played strong defense behind her and had some timely hits. I am so proud of this team.”