William Penn Sweeps Former League Foe in Return to Midwest
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Kansas City, Mo.–After a disappointing trip to Florida, the Statesmen softball team got back to winning as it swept former Heart opponent Avila in a non-conference doubleheader Sunday.
WPU (9-9) won by scores of 4-3 and 2-0.
The navy and gold did all of their work in just two innings, including posting all four of their opening-game runs in the third frame.
Avila (6-10) went ahead 2-0 after two innings, but the visitors answered right back in the top of the third. Jasmine Gonzalez (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Kinesiology) pounded a bases-loaded triple to give the Statesmen a 3-2 advantage and Emily Brown (Sr., Waverly, Iowa, Biology) brought her in on the next at-bat to finish off the team’s scoring.
The Eagles cut the margin to one in the fifth, but Katie Springer (Sr., Riverside, Iowa, Psychology and Human Services) denied the tying run down the stretch. She permitted the three runs on five hits in the complete game, while striking out and walking one.
The offense recorded nine base knocks, led by three hits apiece from Brown and Abby Young (Jr., Dunlap, Ill., Exercise Science).
William Penn was limited to two hits in the first six innings of the nightcap, but fortunately Karlee-Rose Perry (Sr., Kaupo, Hawaii, General Biology) was also nearly untouchable in the circle as the game was scoreless entering the seventh.
Lindsay Lambert (Sr., Elk Grove, Calif., Elementary Education) led off the frame with a single and her pinchrunner Madison Garchinski (Jr., Fairy Glen, Saskatchewan, Elementary Education) came around two batters later on a Lexi Resa (So., Liberty, Mo., Biology) single. Hayley Freestone (Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management), who reached on an error, doubled the edge by coming in on a Young one-bagger.
Both teams posted five hits, while Perry struck out two and walked two in a complete-game shutout.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Columbia, Mo. Wednesday to face #4 Columbia in a non-conference doubleheader at 2 p.m.
