Four-Run Seventh Helps Statesmen to Split Vs. MMU
William Penn University Athletics
Cedar Rapids–The William Penn softball team was shut down for most of the day against Mount Mercy, but fortunately managed one big inning to earn a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader split Sunday.
WPU (20-29, 8-22 Heart) won the opener 4-3, but dropped the nightcap 5-0. The navy and gold enter the final week of the regular season on the outside looking in for a berth to the Heart Tournament, but they have eight games to make up the necessary ground. William Penn’s week will begin Tuesday by hosting Culver-Stockton in a doubleheader at 4 p.m.
The Mustangs (9-36, 8-26 Heart) began the day with one run in the first and one more in the second. WPU produced a few small threats through the first six frames, but still remained behind 2-0 entering the seventh.
Dalaney Bice (Fr., Woodward, Iowa, Human Services and Psychology) led off the seventh with a single and scored three batters later on a single by Molly LaMotte (Sr., Enumclaw, Wash., Exercise Science). Jenny Navarro (Jr., Bellflower, Calif.) then singled in Kodee Johnson (Sr., Stockton, Calif., General Mathematics) and Brooklyn Bantz (Jr., Smithville, Mo., Psychology and Human Services) to give the visitors the lead.
Michelle Castro (Fr., Acampo, Calif., Business Management) ended the big inning with one more one-bagger that plated Haleigh Hammel (Jr., Hamilton, Ill., Biology) to push the edge to 4-2.
Mount Mercy got one run back in the bottom of the seventh, but Bice made sure the tying run was stranded at second with her fourth and final strikeout (three walks).
The teams tied in the hits column with nine each, including two by Johnson, Navarro, and Castro.
The Statesmen failed to transfer their momentum into the second contest and unfortunately also struggled on the defensive end. Six WPU errors led to four of MMU’s runs coming unearned.
The hosts, who outhit William Penn 7-4, scored once in the second and twice more in both the fourth and fifth.
Despite the errors that her team committed, Tabitha Scott (So., Placentia, Calif., Psychology) had a solid complete-game outing with one strikeout and no walks.
