Statesmen Split Doubleheader with William Woods
Fulton, Mo.– The William Penn softball team faced William Woods in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader, splitting the two-game series.
WWU 2, WPU 0
The only runs of the contest came in the bottom of the second inning, as William Woods scored twice and held on for a 2-0 victory.
In the game, Shannon Van Rheenen (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Nursing) entered in the second inning and pitched 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just four hits while recording seven strikeouts.
Offensively, WPU recorded two hits, both coming off the bat of Leah Conlon (Fr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science).
WPU 6, WWU 3
William Penn struck first in game two, as Tori Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) singled to left field in the top of the third inning, bringing home Austin Hitchner (Fr., McKenna, Wash., Secondary Education) to give the Statesmen a 1-0 lead.
William Woods responded with a run in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game at 1-1, then added two more in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.
The Statesmen came to life in the top of the fifth inning, as Leah Conlon started the rally by reaching on a fielder’s choice that brought in Austin Hitchner to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Rylee Riesberg (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) followed with a single to the left side, scoring Leah Conlon to tie the game at 3-3.
Still in the top of the fifth, Laila Gutierrez (Jr., Seminole, Texas, Business Management) reached on an error, bringing home Maci Rutledge (So., Chardon, Neb., Nursing) and Rylee Riesberg to give the Statesmen a 5-3 lead.
In the top of the seventh, WPU added an insurance run to go ahead 6-3 as Breleigh Mengel (Fr., Jefferson, Wis., Nursing) singled into left field plating Marin Frazee (Jr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science).
William Penn held on in the bottom of the seventh to secure a 6-3 victory.
Austin Hitchner earned the win in the circle, pitching 4.0 innings while allowing just two hits and recording one strikeout. Tori Smith picked up the save, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings without allowing zero hits and striking out two.
At the plate, Austin Hitchner and Marin Frazee each recorded a double, while Laila Gutierrez drove in two RBIs for the Statesmen.
Up Next: The Statesmen will face Grand View in a Heart doubleheader on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
