William Penn Ends Spring Break Trip on Five-Game Winning Streak
William Penn University Athletics
Tucson, Ariz.–The Statesmen baseball team recovered from a poor start on its first day at the Tucson Invitational Games, closing out the week with five wins in a row.
William Penn (10-5) swept two separate foes on Sunday, defeating Winnipeg 16-8 and Dakota Wesleyan 5-3. On Monday, WPU swept Presentation 7-1 and 6-2, and ended the trip with a 13-4 victory over Briar Cliff Tuesday.
WPU 16, Winnipeg 8
William Penn outhit Winnipeg 14-8 with five players recording at least two hits. The navy and gold’s effort was highlighted by an eight-run fifth frame.
Anthony Aguila (Jr., Highland, Calif., Kinesiology) paced the way by going 3-for-4 (two RBIs). Julian Villegas (Jr., Wilmington, Calif., Sociology), who batted in four runs and rounded the bases twice, was one of three other Statesmen with two hits each. Wilson Lorenzo (So., Fort Myers, Fla., Computer Science), who scored a team-high three runs (two RBIs as well), and Jeysen Delgado (Jr., Harbor City, Calif., Kinesiology), who scored on two occasions, also produced two base knocks.
Fabian Gutierrez (Jr., Selah, Wash., Communications) was a two-time run scorer, while Jared Goodman (Jr., Huntington Beach, Calif., Physical Education) brought two runs in as well.
Dakota Herman (So., Woodland Park, Colo., Biology) struck out six over 6 2/3 innings. Dino Landucci (So., Burlingame, Calif., Digital Communication) then added four more Ks in 2 1/3 innings of relief.
WPU 5, Dakota Wesleyan 3
The Statesmen lost the hits battle 9-8, but capitalized on their opportunities. Tied 2-2 halfway through the nine-inning matchup, the squad scored a run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to take the win.
Nick Seipel (Jr., Rosemont, Minn., Software Engineering) had a strong outing, permitting just two earned runs in a complete game. The junior tallied four Ks against one base on balls.
Gutierrez was the top Statesmen hitter with a 2-for-3 performance. Aguila tallied two runs and Phillip Berman (Jr., Long Beach, Calif., Education) batted in two of his teammates.
WPU 7, Presentation 1
An 11-3 advantage in hits was secured by William Penn, headlined by Berman going 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
Aguila and Lorenzo were both 2-for-4 with two runs, while Dominik Sawyer (Sr., Chula Vista, Calif., Psychology and Human Services) drove in two tallies.
Brian Harrity (Castle Rock, Colo., Software Engineering) also went the distance, striking out three with three walks.
WPU 6, Presentation 2
With their opponents ahead 2-1 after four and a half innings, the Statesmen put five on the board in the bottom of the fifth to extend their winning streak. The contest witnessed both programs managing six hits with Berman and Sawyer each going 2-for-3 at the plate. Tyler Raskin (Sr., Vancouver, Wash., Business Management) ended the win with a pair of RBIs.
Scott Simpson (Jr., Berwick, Victoria, Exercise Science) was just shy of recording another WPU complete game, tossing 6 2/3 innings with two strikeouts and three walks.
WPU 13, Briar Cliff 4
Despite only owning a slight 11-10 edge in base knocks, WPU produced three frames with at least three runs.
Delgado’s showing included him finishing 3-for-4 with four runs and two RBIs. Villegas knocked in five RBIs in a 2-for-5 game, while Berman and Lorenzo each notched two hits and two RBIs.
The trio of T.J. Murphy (Jr., Woodenville, Wash., Exercise Science), Colton Johnson (Sr., Westminster, Calif., Physical Education), and Nick Worcester (Fr., Bloomingdale, Ill., Physical Education) all stepped on home plate twice.
Austin Neff (Jr., Hanna City, Ill., Psychology) scattered nine hits over seven innings to get the win, while Michael Keegan (Jr., South San Francisco, Calif., Industrial Technology) hurled two scoreless innings out of the bullpen; both pitchers had one strikeout in the victory.
Next Up: Weather permitting, William Penn will travel to Fayette, Mo. Sunday to face Central Methodist in its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener. The doubleheader is set to start at 1 p.m.
