William Penn Athletics News for April 5
William Penn Women's Athletics
Lady Statesmen Still 31st
Oskaloosa–The Penn softball team picked up five wins last week to keep itself on the national scene as the NAIA’s third poll was released Tuesday.
Penn (21-10, 6-4 MCC) remains unofficially 31st with 42 points. The Lady Statesmen won five of six games last week, including going 4-0 at the MCC Weekend.
California Baptist is #1 for the fourth week in a row and now has 653 points and all 23 first-place votes. William Carey (Miss.), Concordia (Calif.), Cal State-San Marcos, and Brenau (Ga.) also hold onto last week’s ranking to round out the top five.
Penn is the only program from the state of Iowa receiving votes.
The Lady Statesmen travel to Fremont, Neb. Friday to face Midland in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
Humphrey Grand Slam Not Enough to Lift Statesmen
Cedar Rapids—Kyle Humphrey (Sr., Boise, Idaho, Skagit Valley CC) connected on Penn’s first grand slam of the year, but a huge eight-run inning could not counter a strong hitting performance by Mount Mercy as Penn was swept in a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader Tuesday.
Penn (17-14, 4-10 MCC) lost by scores of 12-10 and 5-3 and with less than half of the league slate remaining (ten games), the team finds itself on the outside looking in at the five-team MCC Postseason Tournament. Fifth place is currently shared by Grand View and Mount Mercy at 6-6. The Mustangs are 14-13 overall.
Before the Statesmen had a chance to exhale, the home team had blown out to an 11-0 lead after two frames of the opener. Penn somehow regrouped in the third inning and put four of its first five batters on base and with men on all three pads, Humphrey pounded an offering over the left-field wall. It was his fourth homer of the campaign.
Four more runs came across in the third and the visitors were back in contention, down 11-8. Neither team could add to its tally until Penn made it even more interesting with two more runs in the sixth. Humphrey hit a double and was brought home on a single by Brad Chin (Jr., San Rafael, Calif., San Rafael HS). Chin then touched the plate on a double by Aaron Laird (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) to cut the Mustang advantage to just 11-10.
Mount Mercy tacked on an insurance run in the bottom half, but it was inconsequential in the end as the Statesmen went down in order in the seventh to end the game.
Penn was on the losing side of a 15-9 hits tally. Humphrey, Chin, and Cory Randall (Sr., What Cheer, Tri-County HS) all recorded two knocks. Stanley Muller (Jr., Tucson, Ariz., Cochise CC) rounded the bases twice in pinch-running roles, matching Humphrey and Chin in that category.
Jonathan Davis (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Southwestern CC) took the loss to fall to 2-3 this spring. He had a difficult night to say the least (2/3 IP, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 H).
Steve Enriquez (Jr., Castro Valley, Calif., Laney CC) attempted to stop the bleeding, and after a tough start, was fairly successful. He finished the night by giving up six runs (all earned) on 11 hits. He fanned three and walked one.
Penn fought hard to get a split of the double dip, scoring twice in the opening frame of the nightcap. Tony Mancuso (Jr., Covina, Calif., Citrus CC) started the first with a double and was brought home on a single by Evelio Ahumada (Jr., Hacienda Heights, Calif., Citrus CC). Chin also ran over the final base on a passed ball.
The Mustangs cut the deficit in half in the third, but the visitors answered back in the fifth with a Jerry Hernandez (Sr., Moreno Valley, Calif., Chaffey CC) single that sent pinchrunner Daniel Wehr (Jr., Sigourney, Sigourney HS) home for a 3-1 edge.
The bullpen unfortunately could not hold the lead with Mount Mercy posting a four-spot in the bottom of the fifth. Penn failed to rally, stranding baserunners in both the sixth and seventh.
Humphrey and Ahumada each finished the game 2-for-3. Mount Mercy outhit Penn 9-8.
David Ness (Jr., Purcellville, Va., Frederick CC) was productive as the Statesmen starter, allowing just two runs (both earned) on six hits in four innings. He struck out five and walked one, but did not figure into the decision.
Devin Lange (Jr., Tucson, Ariz., Paradise Valley CC) was saddled with the loss (2-3), giving up two runs (both earned) on one hit. In just 1/3 inning, he had a K and a BB.
Dennis Neal (Jr., San Leandro, Calif., Laney CC) (2/3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 K, 1 BB) and Brad McGuire (So., Covina, Calif., Citrus CC) (one perfect inning) also appeared in relief.
Next: Penn returns home Wednesday to host Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
Penn Relinquishes League Lead in Twinbill Sweep
Des Moines–Brianne Rowley (Jr., Hood River, Ore., Blue Mountain CC) hit her 11th home run of the year Tuesday, but unfortunately little else went according to plan for the Lady Statesmen softball team in getting swept by Grand View in a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader.
Penn (21-10, 6-4 MCC) lost 6-1 and 12-4 (6 innings) and is now mathematically in third place in the conference, one full game behind the Vikings (9-18, 7-3 MCC). The silver lining, if one is looking for any, is that the rest of the league appears to be beating up on each other as the Vikings are just 4 1/2 games ahead of last-place Clarke (3-8 MCC).
The mercy-rule loss is the first for the program in over two years, dating back to March 3, 2009 when Penn fell 8-0 to Bethel (Ind.).
The Lady Statesmen scored in the top of the first in both contests, taking a 1-0 lead in the opener after just two at-bats. Ashley Nieto (Jr., Cement City, Mich., Jackson CC) led off the game with a triple into right field and then scored on a Grand View error that allowed Molly Miller (So., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) to reach base. Nieto led all players with a 3-for-4 plate performance.
Despite owning a 10-9 edge in hits, Penn was surprisingly kept off the board the remainder of the game. The team left a total of ten baserunners stranded, including five in scoring position.
While the visitors were struggling to score, the home team got it going in the latter innings and put three on the board in both the fourth and sixth to claim victory.
Khyia Lewis (Jr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) added two hits, while in the pitcher’s circle, Jennifer Whitehead (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) fell to 10-6 on the season. The freshman gave up just one hit and one walk in the first three frames, but the flood gates opened soon thereafter. She eventually let six runs in (three earned) on nine hits, while striking out four and walking one.
It did not get any better for Penn in the nightcap as the Vikings put on a power clinic, hitting four home runs, including three by Emily Gilbert.
As aforementioned, the Lady Statesmen claimed the early advantage with Rowley, Ashley Stream (Jr., Chariton, Chariton HS), and Lewis all tallying two-out hits to bring Rowley around.
The junior added another run in the third to tie the game at 2-2, hitting a shot over the right-center fence for her 11th roundtripper of the season.
Unfortunately, Grand View answered with four in the bottom half and three more in the fifth to put Penn in a precarious position, trailing 9-2.
The Lady Statesmen responded with two marks in the sixth with Stream and Lewis touching home plate on a groundout by Athena Rosario (Jr., Bremerton, Wash., Olympic CC) and a double via Christine Gamble (Jr., Pahrump, Nev., Pahrump Valley HS), respectively.
The day belonged to the red of Grand View, though, with three more runs added to its tally the next half inning for the mercy-run win.
Rowley, Lewis, and Gamble all managed two base knocks in the second matchup.
Amber Daly (Jr., Napa, Calif., Solano CC) allowed 12 runs (ten earned) on 14 hits in 5 1/3 innings. The junior (10-3) struck out three and walked two.
Next: Penn travels to Fremont, Neb. Friday to face Midland in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
