Five in a Row as William Penn Sweeps Mount Mercy
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen softball team remained perfect in Midwest Collegiate Conference action with a doubleheader sweep over Mount Mercy Thursday.
William Penn (20-8, 4-0 MCC), which won 3-1 and 5-1, has won a season-row five straight and eight of its last nine.
The navy and gold attacked first in the opener when Jessica Christensen (Fr., Marysville, Wash., Sociology) drove a shot into the left-center gap to score Ashlee Dennis (So., Loveland, Colo., Biology) and Molly Miller (Sr., Kalona, Iowa, Business Management) in the bottom of the first frame.
In a game that witnessed only six hits (4-2 in favor of WPU), the Mustangs (10-11, 0-3 MCC) cut the deficit in half at 2-1 in the fourth inning. K.C. Routos (Sr., Newcastle, Wash., Physical Education) pushed the advantage back to two runs in the sixth, however, as she cleared the fence in left field with a lead-off solo home run. The junior, who finished 2-for-2, now leads WPU with two roundtrippers.
Jennifer Whitehead (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) moved to 9-4 as she allowed just one unearned run. The junior struck out nine against three walks.
The Statesmen also got on the board in the first inning of the nightcap. Dennis led off with an infield single, but the throw from the Mount Mercy third baseman was wide and went deep down the right-field line. The sophomore’s speed allowed her to round the other three bases as well to put William Penn up 1-0.
The visitors answered in the top of second to knot the contest at 1-1, but the navy and gold went back ahead for good in the third. Miller singled to plate Dennis and Christensen added another one-bagger to score Routos.
Dennis, who was 3-for-3 with three runs, began the fifth with a walk. She and Christensen scored four batters later on a double by Bri Zerley (So., Monroe, Iowa, Biology). Zerley managed a 2-for-3 showing as William Penn outhit Mount Mercy 8-4.
Carly Land (Sr., Mission Viejo, Calif., Education) battled through some control issues (four walks) to pick up her 11th win (11-4). The senior struck out three in the victory.
Next: William Penn travels to Des Moines Saturday to face Grand View in an MCC doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
