Errors Cost William Penn in 2-1 Setback to Hannibal-LaGrange
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–Two eighth-inning fielding mishaps doomed the Statesmen baseball team in a 2-1 loss to Hannibal-LaGrange in non-conference play Wednesday.
In a slice of heaven for a baseball purist, William Penn (17-15) and Hannibal-LaGrange battled in a pitchers’s duel (7-6 hitting edge to WPU).
Despite several decent opportunities, neither team was able to get on the board through the first 7 1/2 innings of play. The Statesmen had the best chance in the third by loading the bases with no outs, but nothing came of it.
The Statesmen finally broke through in the bottom half of the seventh as Brad Chin (Jr., San Rafael, Calif., San Rafael HS) started the rally with a one-out double. Evelio Ahumada (Jr., Hacienda Heights, Calif., Citrus CC) then moved him over to third on a single, setting up a perfectly-executed suicide squeeze bunt by Aaron Laird (Jr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) to plate Chin.
Starting pitcher Chris Freedman (Sr., Walnut, Calif., Citrus CC) was coasting up to that point, but back-to-back errors by Jerry Hernandez (Sr., Moreno Valley, Calif., Chaffey CC) and then Freedman to start the eighth set up Trojan heroics.
The runners were moved one base closer on a sacrifice bunt before both came home on a double by Gabe Marshall to put Hannibal-LaGrange (14-21) ahead 2-1.
Unfortunately, that was all she wrote for the hosts. Cory Randall (Sr., What Cheer, Tri-County HS) led off the eighth with a single, but was stranded there and William Penn went down in order in the ninth. Randall led Penn with a 2-for-3 showing at the dish.
Freedman took the loss to fall to 3-2. The senior allowed two runs (none earned) on four hits. He also struck out four with one walk and one hit-by-pitch.
Jorge Quezada (So., San Ysidro, Calif., Castle Park HS) relieved Freeman in the final frame and allowed two hits, while also striking out two in keeping the Statesmen within striking distance.
Next: William Penn travels to Mount Pleasant this weekend to face Iowa Wesleyan in Midwest Collegiate Conference action. On Saturday, the teams meet for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s single,
