Laird Wins 900th as WPU Opens 2015 with Sweep
William Penn University Athletics
McPherson, Kan.–Mike Laird reached yet another amazing milestone in his storied coaching career as he guided the Statesmen baseball team to a season-opening non-conference sweep of McPherson Friday.
Laird coached WPU (2-0) to wins of 10-0 and 8-4, moving his career mark in 33 seasons to 901-455-3 (.664). He is the 12th-winningest active skipper in the NAIA and also has the fifth-best winning percentage (among the top-25 winningest coaches).
Victory #900 was one of the more dominating efforts by Laird’s Statesmen. The team outhit the Bulldogs (2-8) 11-1, including producing three home runs after having just one in all of 2014.
Josh Ruiz (Sr., Chula Vista, Calif., General Mathematics), returning from a first-team all-Midwest Collegiate Conference campaign in 2014, started his senior season with a gem. He struck out 11 batters (two walks) in the complete-game shutout. Ruiz is still perfect in the navy and gold (7-0).
While his offense did not need to have a big outing, it still did, scoring in the game’s first four frames. Cory DeRush (Sr., Grand Junction, Colo., Business Management) started things off with a solo home run in only the second WPU at-bat of the year.
William Vazquez (So., North Hollywood, Calif., General Accounting) doubled the edge in the second with a two-bagger that brought around Patrick Roxbury (Sr., Canyon Country, Calif., Sociology).
Kenny Hall (Sr., Morgan Hill., Calif., Exercise Science) then cleared the fence with a two-run shot in the third inning, while Connor Sutton (Jr., Gilroy, Calif., Sociology) added his own solo roundtripper in the sixth.
DeRush and Hall were both 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Matt Emerson (Sr., Saugus, Calif., Business Management) and Sho Serrano (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Physical Education) both finished 2-for-4. Sutton and Vazquez each notched a pair of RBIs.
The nightcap was unfortunately a bit more stressful, especially in the end. The navy and gold put the first four marks on the board, beginning with an RBI double in a two-run first inning.
McPherson answered with two in the bottom of the second, but never came any closer than two tallies.
Sutton left the park for the second time in the twinbill with a two-run bomb in the third, while Robert Phiakeo (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Business Management) sent home a teammate with a fourth-inning double. A seemingly meaningless eighth run was posted in the seventh.
Kyle Maldonado (Sr., Centerville, Iowa, Physical Education) experienced some good and bad in his initial start of the year. The senior permitted four runs (all earned) on six hits in four innings of work. He struck out two in the win.
Although ahead 8-4 with only three outs left to obtain, William Penn struggled to close the door. Cole Williams (Sr., Napa, Calif., Physical Education) pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth, but issued walks to three of the first four batters in the seventh. With the pads juiced, Jacob Logan (Sr., Galesburg, Ill., Psychology) entered and stepped up big by striking out the tying run at the plate for the save.
The Statesmen, who held an 11-8 edge in base knocks, were led by 3-for-4 showings by Sutton and Phiakeo. Each individual concluded the contest with two RBIs, while Sutton also rounded the bases two times. Hall was 2-for-4 in the victory.
Next Up: William Penn travels to St. Louis, Mo. next weekend to face Harris-Stowe State in a four-game non-conference set. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s double dip starts at noon.
