Statesmen Fall Twice on Road to Missouri Valley

William Penn University Athletics

Marshall, Mo.–The William Penn baseball team could not overcome its defensive miscues as it was swept by Missouri Valley in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Monday.

In a double dip rescheduled from last Saturday, WPU (10-9, 0-4 Heart) lost by scores of 11-5 and 7-6.

The visitors broke through with the day’s first runs by putting two on the board in the third. Fabian Gutierrez (Jr., Selah, Wash., Communications) singled home Jeysen Delgado (Jr., Harbor City, Calif., Kinesiology) and Anthony Aguila (Jr., Highland, Calif., Kinesiology) also scored on the play via an error.

Unfortunately, the Vikings (10-9, 2-2 Heart) had an immediate answer as they took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom half of the third.

William Penn, which was outhit 11-9, narrowed the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth when Delgado once again touched home plate, this time on a sacrifice fly by Gutierrez.

The rest of the game belonged to MVC, though, as a two-run seventh frame was much too little for the navy and gold in the end. Wilson Lorenzo (So., Fort Myers, Fla., Computer Science) recorded an RBI single in the inning, while T.J. Murphy (Jr., Woodenville, Wash., Exercise Science) managed another RBI on a sac fly.

Gutierrez paced the offensive effort with a 2-for-3 effort. Delgado and Aguila both scored twice in the opener.

WPU committed four errors in the Game One setback and unfortunately suffered the same four-mistake fate in the nightcap.

The Statesmen once again tallied the initial score in the second inning, but the home squad responded with four runs on the bottom side and the visitors tried to play catch-up from there.

One run in the third helped, but William Penn really poured it on the fourth with three scores. Colton Johnson (Sr., Westminster, Calif., Physical Education) highlighted the inning with a run-scoring double.

Still down one entering the seventh and final frame, WPU forced the Vikings to win it at the plate by knotting the score at 6-6. MVC had the last laugh in the end, though, by scoring its third unearned run to win in walk-off fashion.

Delgado, Gutierrez, and Johnson all had two base knocks in the loss. Gutierrez and Johnson each finished with two RBIs as well, while Johnson also posted two runs.

Scott Simpson (Jr., Berwick, Victoria, Exercise Science) was strong out of the bullpen. He unfortunately was saddled with the loss, but permitted just one unearned run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Peosta Saturday and Sunday to face #11 Clarke in a four-game Heart set with each twinbill starting at 1 p.m.