William Penn Winless on Season-Opening Mississippi Trip
William Penn Women's Athletics
Hattiesburg/Jackson, Miss.–The Lady Statesmen softball team had a rough start to its 2012 slate as it competed in the Belhaven Bash Invitational Friday and Saturday.
William Penn (0-4) opened the tournament Friday with a 2-1 loss to #16 William Carey (Miss.) and then fell 10-1 to Faulkner (Ala.) in five innings.
On Saturday, the navy and gold dropped a 6-3 decision to Blue Mountain (Miss.) and concluded the weekend with a 7-5 loss to #6 Belhaven (Miss.).
William Carey 2, William Penn 1
The Lady Statesmen scored their first run of 2012 in the top of the fourth when Christine Gamble (Sr., Pahrump, Nev., Pahrump Valley HS) doubled to left field to bring home Ashley Stream (Sr., Chariton, Chariton HS).
Unfortunately, the lead did not stand as William Carey scored two runs in the bottom half, combining back-to-back triples with a single. William Penn failed to tie up the contest as it had just one runner move into scoring position the remainder of the afternoon.
Jennifer Whitehead (So., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) took the loss, giving up just two runs (both earned) on seven hits. She struck out two and walked a pair.
Faulkner 10, William Penn 1
Little went right against Faulkner as the opposition scored in four of the five innings.
The lone Lady Statesmen run came in the third when Brittni Reyes (Sr., Vacaville, Calif., Solano CC) touched the final base on a sacrifice fly by Khyia Lewis (Sr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS). Reyes led off the frame with a double.
Nicole Danna (Jr., Boone, Iowa Central CC) was saddled with the loss. She struck out five in four innings, while Mariah Trujillo (Fr., Arvada, Colo., Arvada HS) made her collegiate debut by tossing the fifth inning.
Blue Mountain 6, William Penn 3
William Penn fell behind against Blue Mountain 1-0, but rallied with two runs in the third as Reyes and Ashley Kingery (Jr., Knoxville, Knoxville HS) both crossed home plate. Reyes then rounded the pads again in the fifth, but her team’s foe put up two runs in the fifth and sixth and another in the seventh.
Whitehead (0-2) struck out four in her second complete game of the weekend.
Belhaven 7, William Penn 5
A five-run first frame put the #6 team in the NAIA out front big and the Blazers cruised to the win.
The navy and gold tallied one run in the third (Reyes on a Stream double), but the program’s best inning of the tournament was its final one.
Down 7-1 entering the seventh, the Lady Statesmen placed five of their first six batters on base, eventually scoring four times.
Stream finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, while Athena Rosario (Sr., Bremerton, Wash., Olympic CC) was 2-for-3 with a run.
Amber Daly (Sr., Napa, Calif., Solano CC) struck out one in her first appearance of the year.
Next: William Penn travels to Tucson, Ariz. March 4-10 for its annual spring break trip. The team plays 14 games over six days, all against NAIA competition.
