Christensen, Routos Leave Park as Statesmen Clobber Crusaders
William Penn Softball in action at home against Clarke. (file photo)
Dubuque–The William Penn softball team did not let another cold spring day slow its recent hot streak as it dominated Clarke in a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader Tuesday.
The Statesmen (29-13, 11-3 MCC) won by scores of 11-1 (6 innings) and 16-0 (5 innings) to keep the Crusaders winless in league play (4-20, 0-12 MCC). The sweep puts the navy and gold back ahead in the MCC race with Mount Mercy (11-4) one-half game behind.
The squads played even for one inning with both scoring once, but the rest of the twinbill belonged to the visitors who owned a 10-2 edge in hits in the opener.
The onslaught began in the third inning when Jessica Christensen (Fr., Marysville, Wash., Sociology) emptied the loaded bases with a grand slam, her second home run of the season.
One more run was added in the fifth, and then Sonia Ray (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Physical Education) closed out a five-run sixth with a two-run double.
Ashlee Dennis (So., Loveland, Colo., Biology) went 4-for-5 with two runs scored, but was just one of a handful of great performances.
Christensen was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored, while K.C. Routos (Sr., Newcastle, Wash., Physical Education) and Bri Zerley (So., Monroe, Iowa, Biology), who walked three times, also touched home plate twice.
Ray drove in two runs and Callie Henry (Sr., Earlham, Iowa, Elementary Education) walked twice.
Jennifer Whitehead (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) ran into a bit of trouble early, but tossed two perfect frames later on to cruise to a 13-7 mark. The junior struck out seven against three walks.
Little changed in the second matchup as the Statesmen extended their winning streak to six. The navy and gold, who outhit Clarke 14-2, scored three times in the first, then put two more on the board in the second. Routos accounted for both second-inning runs as she cleared the left field fence for her team-leading fourth roundtripper of 2013.
Zerley hit a two-run two-bagger in a five-run fourth and two-run hits were produced in the sixth by Brailey Freed (Sr., Loveland, Colo., Physical Education), with a single, and Sydney Edwards (So., Galesburg, Ill., Psychology/Biology), with a double. William Penn finished with six runs in the fifth.
Zerley finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored, while Routos was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs. Dennis (2-for-5, 3 R), Freed, and Mikayla Djordjevic (So., Las Vegas, Nev., Digital Communications) also managed multiple base knocks. Freed and Djordjevic were both 2-for-2 with two RBIs.
Christensen walked three times and scored on three occasions as well, while Ray and Edwards posted two RBIs. Molly Miller Sr., Kalona, Iowa, Business Management) also scored twice in the nightcap.
Carly Land (Sr., Mission Viejo, Calif., Education) matched her teammates’ excellence with a superb showing in the pitching circle. The senior improved to 16-6 with a two-strikeout, no-walk outing.
Next: William Penn remains on the road Wednesday, traveling to La Crosse, Wis. for another MCC doubleheader against Viterbo beginning at 3 p.m.
