William Penn Survives Extra-Inning Affair to Earn Split Versus MNU
Olathe, Kan.–The Statesmen softball opened its weekend in the Jayhawk State with a doubleheader split against MidAmerica Nazarene in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Sunday.
WPU (22-18, 13-9 Heart) dropped the opener 4-0, but bounced back to take the nightcap 7-5 in eight innings.
The visitors were unable to get the proverbial engine turned over in the day’s first outing, being outhit 11-4, while also committing two errors.
The Pioneers (25-17, 11-11 Heart), on the other hand, tallied two runs in the bottom of the first inning and then added two more in the sixth.
William Penn put runners in scoring position in the first and second frames, but failed to bring anyone around in its best scoring opportunities.
Breleigh Mengel (Fr., Jefferson, Wis., Nursing) guided the lineup with a 2-for-3 showing, while Tori Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) was the most effective of WPU’s three pitchers. The junior tossed 2 2/3 innings of scoreless play, giving up just two hits and two walks against two strikeouts.
WPU overcame being outhit 11-10 in the second bout by taking advantage of four MidAmerica Nazarene fourth errors.
The Pioneers struck first with one run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Statesmen answered in the top of the fourth. Laila Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) hit a solo home run, while Mengel doubled in Leah Conlon (Fr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) for a 2-1 edge.
In a game that featured three lead changes and numerous ties, the hosts went back on top in the fifth.
Laila Smith then left the park again in the sixth with a solo roundtripper, while a bases-loaded walk drawn by Eva Viox (So., Columbia, Mo., Exercise Science) returned the advantage back to the navy and gold. Viox recorded two walks in the win.
Tori Smith helped her own cause in the top of the seventh as she pushed Marin Frazee (Jr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) across on a single for a 5-3 lead.
Unfortunately, MNU rallied with a pair of tallies in its final at-bats to force extra innings.
The Statesmen fortunately did not toss in the towel, but rather answered right back in the top of the eighth. Following a Viox single, her pinchrunner Kya Butler (Sr., Newton, Iowa, Sports Management) scored on a pair MNU errors. Laila Smith then punched in Frazee for some cushion at 7-5.
Tori Smith preserved the advantage with a perfect bottom of the eighth (three flyouts).
Laila Smith topped WPU with a 3-for-5 outing that included three RBIs and two runs scored. Conlon and Mengel each contributed two base knocks, while Frazee scored twice.
“We claimed another gritty win today to get the split against a very good MNU team,” Head Coach Laura North said. “The first game was a tough one with a couple of unlucky miscues, and our offense never got anything strung together.”
“I am proud of the bounce-back and the battle from our players to get the win in the second game,” North added. “We had some key moments by subs Jessica Lathrop (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) and Kya Butler to help us get a couple of late runs. Tori Smith continues to put this team on her back and be a workhorse. Every win is important here down the stretch.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Baldwin City, Kan. Sunday to face Baker in a Heart doubleheader at 1 p.m.
