Solid Pitching, Timely Hitting Help Statesmen Split
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The William Penn Statesmen hosted the Peru State Bobcats in a Heart of America doubleheader on Friday. The teams opened a four game set which will conclude the regular season for the Statesmen.
The Statesmen(14-29, 7-21 Heart) split the two games with the Bobcats(27-17, 17-12 Heart) in a couple of pitchers duels that would feature some timely hitting for both sides.
PSU 3, WPU 1
D.J. Milam (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Business Management) started on the hill for the Statesmen carrying his team low 3.23 conference ERA in with him. The Senior was as advertised going all seven innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out 6.
Nick Worcester (So., Bloomingdale, Ill., Physical Education) began the scoring in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Fabio Espinosa (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Wellness and Recreation).
The Bobcats scored one run in the fourth to tie the game and two in sixth to go ahead. The Statesmen threatened in the fifth but were unable to cash in.
With a single in the bottom of the seventh, Seth Reisbeck (Jr., Meridian, Idaho, History/Government) was able to extend his hit streak to six games.
WPU 2, PSU 1
Game two featured a solid pitching effort from the Statesmen and timely hitting to help nail down the victory.
Augie Voight (Jr., Waukegan, Ill., Secondary Education) started on the mound for William Penn and shut down the Bobcats hitters. The Junior recorded 4.1 innings, allowed three hits, no runs while striking out six.
Reisbeck danced around a couple of tough jams but managed to earn the two inning save and preserve the win for the Statesmen.
William Penn scored both their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Espinosa began the inning with a single to left and just a few pitches later proceeded to steal second base giving the Statesmen a runner in scoring position. Isaiah Almanza (Jr., Deming, N.M., Exercise Science) then singled to center field driving in Espinosa. After a Worcester walk, Reisbeck singled to right scoring Almanza.
Tanner Hamblin (So., Salem, Utah, Undecided) also contributed offensively going 1-3 in the game.
Next Up: William Penn will conclude the four game set and regular season with a doubleheader on Saturday. Saturday is also Senior Day with Senior Day recognition beginning at 12:45 a.m.
