WPU Caps Regular Season with Sweep; Awaits PSC Results

William Penn University Athletics

William Penn University Athletics

Oskaloosa–The Statesmen baseball team worked out its side of the equation perfectly and received some help, but now has to play the waiting game after sweeping Graceland in a Heart of America Athletic Conference twinbill Friday.

William Penn (24-23, 14-18 Heart), which won by scores of 6-5 and 4-2 on Senior Day, is now in position to claim the second wild card spot to the Heart Tournament after receiving help from Benedictine. The Ravens swept Peru State Friday, but because of substantial rain expected across the Midwest on Saturday, the second doubleheader between the teams has been moved to Sunday.

The Statesmen, who are percentage points ahead of Peru State, own the tiebreaker over PSC, therefore forcing the Bobcats to win both games in order to leapfrog the navy and gold for the final bid to the postseason tourney.

Graceland (18-42, 7-25 Heart) took an early advantage in the opener with two runs in the top of the first, but the home squad answered right back with double that total. The Statesmen loaded the bases and Johnny Valdez (Jr., San Jacinto, Calif., Business Management) immediately unloaded them with a grand slam, his team-leading sixth home run of the year.

J.P. Rios (Sr., San Diego, Calif., Business Management) then added a two-run single in the third to stretch the lead to 6-2. Unfortunately, the Yellowjackets were able to make things interesting with one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth to draw within one at 6-5.

Dylan McDonald (Jr., Chula Vista, Calif., Industrial Technology) was able to close GU down in the end, though, to claim the complete game win. The junior struck out five against three walks for the victory.

Both sides managed seven hits with Anthony York (Jr., Chula Vista, Calif., Physical Education) guiding WPU with two hits. The Statesmen overcame five fielding errors in the first contest.

The nightcap also came down to late-inning heroics. GU scored first with one run in the first, but the Statesmen answered back in the second on a solo homer by Cory Russell (Jr., El Cajon, Calif., Education). The junior now has three roundtrippers this spring.

Russell led the way in the production of the second run as well, singling home pinchrunner Gus Canseco (Fr., Hampton, Iowa, Business Management) in the fourth for a 2-1 lead.

The visitors tied the game once more at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, but William Penn capped the four-game series sweep with two final runs in the bottom half. Only one error was committed throughout the entire seven innings, but it came in the most inopportune time for Graceland as two go-ahead runs came in on a throwing error by the GU second baseman.

Logan Overly (Sr., Oakley, Calif., Secondary Education), who struck out nine batters, secured the win with a perfect 1-2-3 seventh frame. He limited the Yellowjackets to four hits in the complete game, while his teammates managed seven base knocks (Russell had two).

If perhaps Friday did indeed mark the end of the 2016 season, it will also be the end of the collegiate careers for eight Statesmen seniors, including Jacob Davidson (Bloomfield, Iowa, Psychology and Sociology), Tyler Martinez (San Diego, Calif., Sociology), Tevin Nishiyama (Honolulu, Hawaii, Physical Education), Overly, Robert Phiakeo (San Diego, Calif., Business Management), Rios, Steven Sattz (Pickering, Ontario, Physical Education), and Marshall Siordia (Lancaster, Calif., Sociology and Psychology).

Posted by on May 2 2016. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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