Perry’s Shutout Paces William Penn to First League Wins
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Springfield, Mo.–Karlee-Rose Perry (Sr., Kaupo, Hawaii, General Biology) kept the opposition off the board in the opener and received a timely hit, while the offense rose to the occasion in the nightcap as the Statesmen softball team swept Evangel in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday.
WPU (11-11, 2-2 Heart) broke into the league’s win column by taking down the Crusaders (10-8, 1-5 Heart) by scores of 1-0 and 8-6.
Perry was clicking in the opener, striking out nine batters in a five-hit shutout. Unfortunately, her counterpart was also throwing well as the navy and gold only had six total base knocks in the first contest.
The squads were locked in a scoreless tie after four frames, but a bench player fixed that. After the first two batters in the top of the fifth were sent to the dugout, Jasmine Gonzalez (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Kinesiology) started a two-out rally with a walk. She was moved to second on a single by Sonia Reddy (Jr., Tracy, Calif., Exercise Science).
Savannah Fleming (Sr., Gooding, Idaho, Exercise Science) was then replaced at the plate by pinch-hitter Alexa Blazek (So., Henderson, Nev., Exercise Science) and the sophomore came through with a one-bagger to plate Gonzalez.
Perry made sure the run held up by retiring the final nine Crusaders she faced. Six different Statesmen tallied hits in the win.
After being slowed in the first seven innings of the day, the offense broke out in the nightcap as William Penn compiled 14 hits and scored multiple runs in two separate innings to finish the sweep.
Down 2-0 after two innings of action, the visitors claimed the lead for good with a three-run effort in the top of the third. Reddy opened the scoring with a double that plated Lexi Resa (So., Liberty, Mo., Biology). The junior was then brought in as Lexi Riccardi (Jr., Redwood City, Calif., Biology) cleared the left-field fence with a two-run shot for her first roundtripper in the navy and gold.
The advantage extended to five in the fourth as the long ball was again utilized. Resa garnered an RBI on a single to plate Emily Brown (Sr., Waverly, Iowa, Biology) and then touched home herself on Reddy’s single.
A new EU pitcher was brought in and she was immediately welcomed by Hayley Freestone (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) as she left the field with a two-run homer. The shot is her first of the campaign.
Evangel pulled to within three in the bottom half of the frame, but the victors tacked on an insurance run in the seventh as Melina Fabian (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) scored on a throwing error.
The tally was fairly crucial because the Crusaders managed a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run at the plate before Katie Springer (Sr., Riverside, Iowa, Psychology and Human Services) shut the door.
The senior permitted six runs (four earned) on eight hits, while striking out nine and walking two. The Statesmen defense was a bit shaky with three fielding mistakes.
Seven different batters claimed a hit for visitors who were strongest at the top of the lineup. Riccardi was a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Resa, who put her foot on home twice, matched her with a trio of base knocks. Reddy, Freestone, and Lindsay Lambert (Sr., Elk Grove, Calif., Elementary Education) all added a pair of hits as well. Reddy drove in two runs and scored twice, while Freestone was good for two RBIs as well.
“Our team played well today,” Head Coach Mike Christner said. “We got a great pitching performance from Karlee and a huge pinch-hit RBI from Alexa. The bats came alive in the second game and we hit like I know we can.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday to hopefully play its first home games of the season, hosting Graceland in a Heart doubleheader at 4 p.m.
