Statesmen Sweep MMU with Two Extra-Inning Triumphs
William Penn University Athletics
Cedar Rapids–The William Penn baseball team has had its heart broken more than enough times this season so it was definitely due for some good luck as the Statesmen defeated Midwest Collegiate Conference foe Mount Mercy in extra innings twice Saturday.
William Penn (16-15, 6-5 MCC) took the opener 2-1 in 11 innings and the second game 4-3 in nine innings.
The visitors doubled up the Mustangs (13-16, 4-7 MCC) in hits in the first contest, 12-6, but trailed 1-0 entering their final at-bats.
J.P. Rios (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Business Management) led off the seventh frame with a single and was moved to third on a sacrifice and another single. He eventually came home on a bunt single by Cory DeRush (Sr., Grand Junction, Colo., Business Management) to knot the game at 1-1.
WPU loaded the bases in the eighth and had runners on the pads in the ninth and 10th innings, but were unable to put another run on the board. Finally, William Vazquez (So., North Hollywood, Calif., General Accounting), who led off the 11th with a base on balls, tallied the go-ahead run on a single by DeRush.
DeRush, who was 3-for-6, was the offensive hero, but Robert Phiakeo (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Business Management) perhaps had an even better, yet quieter, showing as he was 3-for-3 in addition to a walk. Patrick Roxbury (Sr., Canyon, Calif., Sociology) and Sho Serrano (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Physical Education) both finished 2-for-5 at the plate.
Logan Overly (Jr., Oakley, Calif., Secondary Education), who is now 2-3, worked a perfect bottom of the 11th for the victory. The junior did not permit a baserunner in three spotless innings out of the bullpen.
Starter Matt Vasquez (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Business Management) scattered just six hits in eight innings of one-run ball. The senior managed four strikeouts against one walk.
The Statesmen overcame five errors in the game.
Roles nearly reversed in the nightcap with the Statesmen scoring first and almost blowing the late advantage.
William Penn put three on the board in the third with Connor Sutton (Jr., Gilroy, Calif., Sociology) singling home two and Serrano bringing in one more on another single. The visitors, who outhit MMU 12-3, left the bases loaded, though, and after a three-hit fourth was unable to net any runs, the offensive well dried up for a while.
Mount Mercy never gave up and managed to tie the game with one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
WPU committed three fielding mistakes in the nightcap, but it was a ninth-inning error by the home team that led the navy and gold once again into the winner’s circle. Following the error, DeRush scored on a single by Sutton.
Sutton was 3-for-4 (one walk as well), while DeRush and Roxbury were 2-for-5; Matt Emerson (Sr., Saugus, Calif., Business Management) finished 2-for-3.
Kyle Maldonado (Sr., Centerville, Iowa, Physical Education), who was on the bump for the two seventh-inning runs, tossed a perfect ninth inning for the win. The senior (2-2) had three strikeouts (one walk) in three relief frames. Neither of the runs scored against him were earned (just one hit allowed).
Like Vasquez in the game before him, Tyler Martinez (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Sociology) was very strong as the starter. He allowed only one earned run on two hits in six innings (1 K, 1 BB).
Next Up: William Penn remains in Cedar Rapids Sunday to finish off its four-game set with Mount Mercy. The twinbill starts at 1 p.m.
