Softball Finishes 11-3 on Spring Break Trip
William Penn Women's Athletics
Tucson, Ariz.–The Lady Statesmen softball team had little trouble putting runs on the board in a successful spring break trip last week.
#30 Penn (12-5) started the week 4-0 the first two days and concluded it with an 8-3 record.
On Tuesday, the Lady Statesmen knocked off Wartburg 11-1 (6 innings) and St. John Fisher (N.Y.) 11-3 (6 innings) before losing its first game of the week 6-5 to Rochester Tech (N.Y.).
The squad came up short again to start Wednesday, falling 9-3 to SUNY-Canton (N.Y.) before rebounding for a 3-2 victory against Hope International (Calif.).
Thursday’s competition witnessed the navy and gold defeat Trinity International (Ill.) 6-0 and Robert Morris (Ill.) 10-6 prior to a 12-3 defeat at the hands of #17 Madonna (Mich.). Like Penn, Robert Morris is receiving votes in the NAIA’s preseason poll.
The final day of play brought two more wins–a 5-4, eight-inning victory over Aquinas (Mich.) and an 8-6 triumph against Calumet-St. Joseph (Ind.).
Penn put more than a few dents in the ball during the week, hitting .380 (155-of-408) with eight batters eclipsing the .400 mark. The program tallied 12 home runs, 33 doubles, and six triples and outscored its opposition 118-60.
Penn 11, Wartburg 1
Three big innings of three runs or more put the Lady Statesmen over the top against the Knights.
Brianne Rowley (Jr., Hood River, Ore., Blue Mountain CC) went deep as did Cassie Holt (Jr., Twin Lakes, Wis., Muskego HS). It was Holt’s first career roundtripper.
Holt and Christine Gamble (Jr., Pahrump, Nev., Pahrump Valley HS) posted two hits each as Penn owned a 10-2 edge in base knocks. Rowley posted three RBIs, while Holt and Molly Miller (So., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) each brought two runners around. Gamble scored a game-high three runs and Andrea Rensberger (Sr., Sioux City, Sioux City North HS) added two runs as well.
Amber Daly (Jr., Napa, Calif., Solano CC), who is now 5-1, was dominant in the circle, giving up just one run (earned) on two hits. She struck out three.
Penn 11, St. John Fisher 3
Trailing 2-0 entering the fourth, Penn put a six-spot on the board and then added five more in the sixth for the win.
Miller guided her team at the plate with three hits, while her teammates helped to combine for 14 total. Gamble, Rowley, Ashley Nieto (Jr., Cement City, Mich., Jackson CC), and Ashley Stream (Jr., Chariton, Chariton HS) all recorded a pair of base knocks. Rowley left the park again with a two-run shot.
Miller brought three home, whereas Rowley and Brittany Labbe (So., Northridge, Calif., Chaminade HS) managed two RBIs. The trio of Miller, Rowley, and Gamble all rounded the bases on two occasions.
Jennifer Whitehead (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS), who currently stands at 6-3 this year, allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits. She recorded three strikeouts versus one walk.
Rochester Tech 6, Penn 5
Despite producing 16 hits, the Lady Statesmen wasted a plethora of opportunities (11 left on base) in a frustrating loss to a team they had beaten 8-0 just two days earlier.
Penn scored one run each in the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth frames, but gave up the game-winning run in the final half inning.
Cassie Lohman (So., Burbank, Calif., Providence HS) began her late-week onslaught (hit a team-best .452 for the week) by tying Labbe for the team high in hits with three. Miller and Athena Rosario (Jr., Bremerton, Wash., Olympic CC) picked up two hits apiece as well. Labbe also tallied two RBIs in the setback.
Daly struggled in a five-run (four earned), nine-hit outing. She struck out three with one walk. The junior was replaced late in the game by Whitehead. The freshman did not fare any better, though, giving up one run (earned) on two hits and was saddled with the loss in just 1/3 inning.
SUNY-Canton 9, Penn 3
Penn answered its opponent with two runs in the first, but could not keep pace in the loss. Both teams posted nine hits.
Nieto, Rensberger, and Khyia Lewis (Jr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS), who had a solo home run, all connected on two base knocks for the losing squad.
Whitehead was beat up to the tune of nine runs (all earned) on nine hits. She sat down three batters on strikeouts, but also walked five.
Penn 3, Hope International 2
The Lady Statesmen returned to their winning ways with some final-inning heroics by Rowley who brought home Nieto with a single. Nieto and Rensberger topped Penn with two hits each, while Rensberger also crossed home plate twice.
The two Hope International runs (one earned) were scored on six scattered hits against Daly. She struck out three hitters.
Penn 6, Trinity International 0
Two runs in the first were enough to give the navy and gold the win, but four insurance runs in the fourth were added just in case.
Penn was efficient with its chances, matching Trinity International with just six hits each. Nieto tied for the game lead with two connections. The junior also scored two times.
Whitehead got back on track with a three-hit shutout, her second such performance of the week. The freshman hurler K’d two and allowed one base on balls.
Penn 10, Robert Morris 6
Down 6-2 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Lady Statesmen seemed to be sunk, but an eight-run effort, sparked by two-run hits via Rowley and Lohman, and Penn came out victorious.
A 12-8 advantage in hits was mainly due to three-hit showings by Rowley, Lohman, and Labbe. Lohman posted three RBIs, while the other two drove in a pair. Miller and Rowley touched all four bases twice.
Whitehead scrambled to the victory, giving up six runs (five earned) on eight hits. She tallied two strikeouts with four walks.
Madonna 12, Penn 3
Seven Lady Statesmen errors and 20 hits by the opposition should have made for a much more lopsided outcome, but Penn managed to keep it somewhat respectable in a tough loss to Madonna.
Holt produced two hits in the loss, while Rowley hammered another roundtripper.
Daly (12 R, 10 ER, 20 H, 4 K, 1 BB) collected the loss.
Penn 5, Aquinas 4
Penn rallied for four runs in the final four innings to force extras and then Labbe provided the eventual game-winner on a single that scored Whitney Reber (Jr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS).
Stream tallied three hits and the foursome of Miller, Rowley, Lohman, and Rensberger contributed two each as the Lady Statesmen owned a 13-7 edge in hits. Rowley, who smashed another homer, and Stream managed two RBIs each.
Whitehead finished her week with a solid four-run (one earned), seven-hit performance. She added six more strikeouts to her total versus four walks.
Penn 8, Calumet-St. Joseph 6
Including a four and three-run frame, Penn did just enough to hold off its final opponent (10-9 margin in hits).
Lohman and Miller reached base twice with hits, while Rowley cleared the bases with a three-run double in the sixth. It was her 12th multiple-base hit of the trip (six home runs, six doubles). Brittni Reyes (Jr., Vacaville, Calif., Solano CC) also had a two-run hit in the win. Lohman and Rensberger added two runs each.
Next: Weather permitting, Penn is slated to host Graceland Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
