Ruiz’s Two-Hitter Leads WPU to Non-Conference Sweep of Trojans
William Penn University Athletics
Hannibal, Mo.–The Statesmen baseball team began life outside of Florida on the winning side with a non-conference sweep over Hannibal-LaGrange Tuesday.
William Penn (8-8) won by scores of 12-0 and 6-3 over the Trojans (7-13).
Josh Ruiz (Sr., Chula Vista, Calif., General Mathematics) improved to 3-0 with his third complete game and second shutout of the season. The senior was more than dominant, striking out four with one walk. No H-LG players advanced past first base.
The navy and gold offense clicked from the lead-off hitter as their first seven batters reached in an eight-run first inning. WPU, which had just three hits in the frame, also took advantage of four drawn walks.
Four more tallies were added in a six-hit fifth frame. The contest featured a 15-2 edge in hits for the visitors with Connor Sutton (Jr., Gilroy, Calif., Sociology) paving the way by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Cory DeRush (Sr., Grand Junction, Colo., Business Management) and J.P. Rios (Jr., San Diego, Calif., Business Management) also managed two hits as all of William Penn’s starters managed at least one base knock.
Charlie Cole (Fr., Tampa, Fla., Undecided), Matt Emerson (Sr., Saugus, Calif., Business Management), and Kenny Hall (Sr., Morgan Hill., Calif., Exercise Science) matched Sutton by rounding the bases twice. Emerson, Hall, Patrick Roxbury (Sr., Canyon, Calif., Sociology), and Ryan Marshall (Sr., Quartz Hill, Calif., Sociology) each drove in two runs as well.
The Statesmen kept it rolling into the nightcap with three runs in the first inning, but Hannibal-LaGrange responded with two in the bottom half and one more in the third to knot the matchup at 3-3.
William Penn, which outhit H-LG 11-8, gathered itself in the fourth with a pair of runs and then tacked on an insurance mark in the seventh.
Marshall served as the offensive star, going 3-for-4, while Hall was 2-for-4.
Cole Williams (Sr., Napa, Calif., Physical Education) pitched well in the starting role, permitting three earned runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. The senior, who evened his record at 2-2, had one strikeout with one walk.
Reliever Logan Overly (Jr., Oakley, Calif., Secondary Education) entered in the bottom of the sixth and faced the minimum number of batters by striking out two and inducing two groundouts.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Sioux City Friday to face Briar Cliff in a non-conference doubleheader as part of the Morningside Tournament. The twinbill starts at 1 p.m.
