Statesmen Drop Pair to Peru State Despite Strong Pitching in Nightcap

Oskaloosa — The Statesmen baseball team dropped two more games in conference competition against the Peru State Bobcats on Sunday.

Peru State (9-26, 5-9) took game one by a score of 15-3 and the second game 1-0.

PSC 15 – WPU 3

William Penn (15-12, 5-3) started the day quickly in the bottom of the first inning when Shane Mailloux (So., Santee, Calif., Business Management) hit a two-RBI single to score Abraham Arroyo (Grad., Camuy, P.R., Master’s of Sports Management) and McGwire Jephson (Jr., Rigby, Idaho, Business Management).

Peru State responded with 14 runs over the next five inning to lead 14-2 halfway through the sixth.

Ened Perez (Jr., Orocovis, P.R., Kinesiology) got the Statesmen back on the board with a solo homer in the bottom half of the frame to make it 14-3.

The Bobcats finished the contest’s scoring with another run in the top of the seventh inning.

Arroyo led the Statesmen in hitting, going 3-for-4 and a run. Jephson and Perez also scored a run in the game.

PSC 1 – WPU 0

The nightcap was an impressive pitching duel that featured only nine hits (5-4 in favor of WPU), with the Bobcats not reaching base until a hit in the fourth inning.

The Statesmen produced base knocks in four different innings and had two runners in scoring position at the top of the sixth inning but left them Bialek and Arroyo stranded going into the bottom half of the frame. Unfortunately, Peru State broke through against the Statesmen relief pitching with a run in the top of the seventh and WPU failed to produce a response.

Aiden North (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) Jephson, Arroyo, Mailloux, and Perez each produced a hit, but Garrett Neiman (Jr., Arvada, Colo., Sports Management) held the opponents scoreless through six innings, allowing only two hits and striking out three before being relieved at the start of the final frame. .

“Very disappointing way to finish the series.” Head Coach Mike Laird said, “We failed to capitalize on some offensive situations in game 4 stranding several runners in scoring position. Neiman pitched very well going 6 innings shutting Peru down. We did not help him out.”

Next Up: The Statesmen head to Cedar Rapids to take on the Mount Mercy Mustangs on Friday. The first half of the doubleheader starts at 1 p.m.