Herron’s Walk-Off Highlights WPU Split of Home Opener
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–Chelsee Herron (Sr., Anaheim, Calif., Elementary Education) left the park for the first time this year, doing so in walk-off fashion to lead the William Penn softball team salvage a doubleheader split against Heart of America Athletic Conference foe Graceland Saturday.
The Statesmen (9-12, 1-1 Heart) lost the opener 3-0, but took the nightcap 6-5.
Both offenses were as cold as the weather in the opener as they each tallied four hits. The Yellowjackets (8-6, 1-1 Heart) scored once in the second inning and twice more in the fifth. The navy and gold were unable to counter, unfortunately leaving runners in scoring position in the first, third, and fifth frames.
Four different Statesmen tallied a base hit, while pitcher Chyanne Koko (So., Waianae, Hawaii, Business Management), who is now 2-4 on the campaign, struck out two batters and only allowed two earned runs in the first contest.
GU put a run on the board in the first inning of the nightcap and its pitching again appeared poised to shut down the WPU offense. The Statesmen finally broke through in the fourth, though, bringing across two runs. Marissa Pereyra (Sr., Fullerton, Calif., Exercise Science) led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Taylor Vernon (So., Tracy, Calif., Ripon HS), while Koko came around on a single via Tricia Bonifacio (Jr., Lahaina, Hawaii, Psychology).
Herron made it 3-1 in the fifth when she doubled home Kodee Johnson (Jr., Stockton, Calif., General Mathematics).
The hosts were just three outs away from closing it out in the top of the seventh, but Graceland had other plans and produced four runs to go back ahead 5-3.
WPU nearly buckled, but Breann Robertson (Fr., Rainier, Wash., Human Services and Sociology) got on base on a fielder’s choice and the game was kept alive by a two-out Graceland error that allowed Pereyra to reach the pads.
Then Herron delivered the heroics with a three-run, walk-off home run to give William Penn the victory. The senior was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while the Statesmen outhit the Yellowjackets 10-8. Johnson finished 2-for-4 as well.
Elizabeth Whitaker (Jr., Azalea, Ore., Exercise Science) evened her record at 6-6 by striking out three against two walks in the complete-game performance.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Clinton next Thursday to face Ashford in a rescheduled non-conference doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
