Homers Lead WPU to Splitting Twinbill with Missouri Valley
April 13th, 2026
Oskaloosa–The William Penn softball team crushed four home runs en route to a split of a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader with Missouri Valley Friday.
The Statesmen (19-17, 10-8 Heart) won the opener 12-0 (5 innings), but dropped the nightcap 3-2.
The hosts wasted no time in taking the lead in the first game, putting three runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Tori Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) doubled to plate both Laila Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) and Marin Frazee (Jr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science), while another double from Breleigh Mengel (Fr., Jefferson, Wis., Nursing) brought in Tori Smith.
Tori Smith and Rylee Riesberg (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) then both left the park in the third frame (two-run shots) as WPU’s lead grew to 7-0.
Laila Smith doubled to open the fourth inning, and later in the inning, Riesberg capped the first game’s scoring by launching a grand slam over the left-center fence. It marks the second time this year that a Statesmen has had a multi-home run performance (Tori Smith vs. Grand View on March 28).
Riesberg finished with six RBIs, while Tori Smith ended up with four. The quintet of Frazee, Riesberg, Mengel, Tori Smith, and Leah Conlon (Fr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) all tallied two hits as William Penn posted a 13-2 edge in base knocks. Conlon, Tori Smith, and Riesberg each rounded the bases twice as well.
The offensive outburst was more than enough as Tori Smith was equally dominant in the pitching circle, striking out three in a complete-game shutout. The junior retired the final 10 batters she faced.
Unfortunately, the lineup was stifled in the second contest, not getting on the board until the bottom of the fifth inning. MVC (6-30, 3-15 Heart) gained the lead in the third, but Austin Hitchner (Fr., McKenna, Wash., Secondary Education) evened the score with a solo home run in the fifth.
A sixth-inning run by the Vikings was then followed by another tally in the seventh for a 3-1 Viking lead.
The home crew managed to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Hitcher to bring in Mckenna Vasser (Fr., Rochester, Wash., Business Management). WPU failed to finish the rally, though, leaving the tying run at second base as the final out was recorded.
Eva Viox (So., Columbia, Mo., Exercise Science) headed the Statesmen with two hits as the navy and gold owned a 6-5 advantage in base knocks.
Shannon Van Rheenen (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Nursing) tossed six commendable frames in the nightcap, allowing only three runs on five hits. The freshman struck out one Viking without a walk.
“This was a bit of an uneven day for us,” Head Coach Laura North said. “The first game showed how dangerous our offense can be when we are clicking on all cylinders. Both our power and our speed were on display. The second game was unfortunately a story of bad luck and poor execution. I give credit to Missouri Valley for making plays and executing, while we did not do so when we had chances. We were too timid at times, which is not typically how we play.”
“Sometimes the better team does not win in softball,” North added. “Our defense was the highlight for us all day, though. We made so many great plays; that is where we need to stay consistent for the remainder of the regular season.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Thursday to host Central Methodist in a Heart doubleheader at 2 p.m.
