Otten Grand Slam Highlights Sweep Over Pioneers
Oskaloosa–The William Penn baseball team turned the tables on its foe Saturday, sweeping #15 MidAmerica Nazarene in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader.
A day after being swept at Statesmen Ballpark, WPU (16-19, 8-12 Heart) claimed the four-game series split by scores of 10-1 and 4-2.
Despite blustery winds from the east/southeast, the ball, for the most part, stayed inside the fence. After holding MNU (26-11, 19-5 Heart) scoreless in the top of the first, the navy and gold jumped out ahead in the opener as Hector Dominguez (So., Fontana, Calif., Exercise Science) drew a bases-loaded walk to push in Blair Speas (Jr., O’Fallon, Mo., New Media).
The Statesmen then took full advantage of two Pioneer errors to put six on the board in the second. Andres Pineda (So., Cartagena, Colombia, Business Management) scored off an error, while Joel Holguin (Jr., San Bernardino, Calif., Sociology) made it 3-0 by singling home Speas.
WPU proceeded to load the pads and, with one swing of the bat, Zach Otten (Jr., Mapleton, Ill.) extended the advantage by four more runs as he cleared the left field boundary with a grand slam, also plating Dominguez, Holguin, and Nick George (Sr., Sarina, Ontario, Sociology).
The visitors finally got on the board in the fourth, but that is all starting pitcher Abel Madueno (Jr., San Bernardino, Calif., Business Management) would allow.
Pineda got the run back in the fifth by sprinting in on a wild pitch, while the hosts capped their scoring with two additional runs in the sixth. Otten finished off a prolific performance with an RBI single in that frame.
Overall, the Statesmen outhit MidAmerica Nazarene 14-6. Otten drove in five off of his two base knocks, while Speas recorded a team-best three hits. The quartet of George, Holguin, Dominguez, and Pineda also finished with two hits, while Dominguez also drew a pair of base of balls.
Madueno dominated from the mound as well, striking out eight against three walks in a complete game.
Brian Thomas (Sr., Shingle Springs, Calif., Sports Management) was equally impressive in holding down the potent MNU lineup in the nightcap.
The hosts again made the visitors pay for their fielding mistakes (three errors total), while posting a 7-4 margin in base knocks.
MNU looked poised to snatch a split on the day as it recorded a tally in each of the first two frames, but Thomas took over from there.
The navy and gold offense also came to life, beginning with Pineda scoring on a sacrifice fly by Otten in the fourth. Speas then opened the game-deciding three-run fifth by knotting the contest with a double to plate Nathan Jessell (Jr., Napa, Calif., Sociology).
George then doubled to bring in Speas, while pinchrunner Logan Bialek (Fr., South Elgin, Ill., Exercise Science), in the game for George, touched home plate off an error by the visitors.
After a slightly rocky opening, Thomas settled in and delivered a powerful seven complete frames. The senior struck out seven (no walks) and only permitted one earned run. After his teammates grabbed the lead, he was dominant in retiring the final six batters he faced (seven in a row total).
Aiden North (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) guided the lineup with a 2-for-3 effort, while Dominguez again walked twice.
“What a great day, sweeping the #15 team in the nation!,” Head Coach Mike Laird said. “Both of our starting pitchers threw well and controlled their games, while Zach Otten had a huge grand slam for us. All of our guys fought hard.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Cedar Rapids next Saturday to face Mount Mercy in a Heart doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
