Rowley Breaks Season HR Mark as WPU Splits with Viterbo
William Penn Women's Athletics
La Crosse, Wis.–Brianne Rowley (Sr., Hood River, Ore., Blue Mountain CC) put her name in the William Penn softball annals Tuesday by leaving the park once again as the Lady Statesmen concluded their regular season with a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Viterbo.
William Penn (40-15, 21-3 MCC) lost the opener 0-2, but then rebounded to win the second game 9-1 (6 innings). It is the sixth time in school history that the navy and gold have eclipsed the 40-win plateau (all since 2004).
The day did not start so cheery for the visitors, though, with the offense failing to put a run across in the first seven frames.
Viterbo (12-24, 10-14 MCC) was unsuccessful through the first six innings as well. Actually, the hosts were hitless at that point, but that all changed in the seventh when Melissa Weaver broke up the no-hitter with a lead-off single. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, but with two outs, was likely going to be stranded there. Lizzy Dier had other plans, however, and ended the matchup with a walk-off home run.
Molly Miller (Jr., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) had two of the Lady Statesmen’s six hits.
Jennifer Whitehead (So., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) struck out five (one walk), but fell victim as she lost both the no-no and the game.
With its pride bruised from the opener, William Penn let out its frustration in the nightcap, beginning with two runs in the first. Khyia Lewis (Sr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) hit a double to score Miller, while Ashley Stream (Sr., Chariton, Chariton HS) singled home Rowley.
Four more runs were plated in the second, including a two-run roundtripper by Lewis. The shot was her 14th of the year, and at the time, it tied Rowley and Tyanna Helton (2010) for the school record.
Brittni Reyes (Sr., Vacaville, Calif., Solano CC) also touched home plate on a wild pitch, while Ashlee Dennis (Fr., Loveland, Colo., Mountain View HS) tagged up and scored from third on a Rowley sacrifice fly.
Lewis’ tie with Rowley lasted for just minutes as her fellow senior also cleared the fence in the fourth with a solo homer to make it 7-0 in favor of the Lady Statesmen.
The team’s final two runs came across in the sixth with Lewis and Rowley both scoring on an error. The V-Hawks had three mistakes in the frame and four for the contest.
William held a 12-4 edge in hits, including three by both Rowley (2 RBI, 3 R) and Lewis (3 RBI, 2 R), while Stream and Reyes managed two base knocks apiece.
Whitehead, who was getting prepped for the extra work she will take on in the postseason, claimed the win. The sophomore (19-9) managed seven strikeouts in the win.
With the regular season concluded, William Penn now knows who it will host this weekend for its MCC First Round Pod Tournament. The top seed will face off against #6 seed St. Ambrose and #9 seed Clarke. The navy and gold swept both programs this spring.
The Queen Bees and Crusaders open the double-elimination event Saturday at 1 p.m., while the winner takes on William Penn at 3:15 p.m. As the #1 seed, William Penn has already locked up a spot in next weekend’s Final Four Tournament in Ames.
