Statesmen Finish 1-3 in Season-Opening Weekend
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Joplin, Mo.–The William Penn baseball team knocked off some rust over the weekend as it began its 2018 season with a quartet of contests.
WPU (1-3) opened with a 13-2 win over Viterbo Friday, but then came up short in a pair of pitching duels Saturday. The team lost to Doane 4-2 and William Woods 2-0. The weekend ended with an 11-10 setback to Waldorf Sunday.
WPU 13, Viterbo 2
The navy and gold came up empty in the first inning against the V-Hawks, but were solid the rest of the way with at least one tally in each of the final six frames. The Statesmen highlighted their season opener with three runs in the second, three more in the fifth, and four in the sixth.
Nathan Ball (Jr., Moses Lake, Wash., Psychology) guided WPU by going 3-for-4 with five RBIs. Julian Villegas (Sr., Wilmington, Calif., Sociology) also had three hits and drove in two runs, while four other players finished with two base knocks apiece as the victors outhit Viterbo 16-6.
The two-hit foursome included Isaiah Almanza (Jr., Deming, N.M., Exercise Science) (2 RBIs), Tanner Hamblin (So., Salem, Utah, Undecided) (3 R), Seth Reisbeck (Jr., Meridian, Idaho, History/Government) (3 R), and Jimmy Blake (Jr., Seffner, Fla., Sports Management) (2 R). Hamblin’s day was highlighted with a home run in his first game as a Statesmen.
Matt Rhodes (Fr., Des Moines, Iowa, Business Management) also crossed home plate three times, while Cael Lambe (Fr., Dysart, Iowa, Sports Management) did so twice.
Nick Bruns (Jr., Frankfort, Ill., Sports Management) struck out four (five walks) as he worked 4 1/3 innings for the win; he permitted just one run in his William Penn debut. Michael Keegan (Sr., South San Francisco, Calif., Industrial Technology) posted five Ks as well in 2 2/3 frames out of the bullpen.
Doane 4, WPU 2
The offense was slowed dramatically on Saturday as WPU was limited to only four hits (Doane had six). The Tigers took the lead in the second with two runs, but WPU cut the deficit in half in the third with an RBI single by Almanza.
The margin grew to three in the fourth at 4-1, and unfortunately the navy and gold could only manage one more score in the fifth on another RBI hit (double) by Almanza. The junior was the lone Statesmen to produce multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4.
Augie Voight (Jr., Waukegan, Ill., Secondary Education) had a nice outing on the hill, going the distance in his William Penn debut with six strikeouts and three walks.
William Woods 2, WPU 0
Despite holding a 7-3 advantage in hits, WPU could not bring its baserunners around. The Owls scored the game’s only runs in the bottom of the first and held on for the win.
Almanza and Hamblin were both 2-for-3 to lead the team, while D.J. Milam (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Business Management) tossed six strong innings, actually no-hitting WWU after the first frame. The senior struck out five versus two walks.
Waldorf 11, WPU 10
The weekend finale was a wild one in which the Statesmen had plenty of offense, but could not chase down the Warriors.
WPU took the lead with two runs in the third, but a six-run fourth gave WU the edge for good. Although they trimmed the deficit to one at 6-5 in the fifth, the navy and gold never tied the contest again. William Penn had the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, but failed to get him across.
Reisbeck was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Villegas and Almanza (two RBIs) added two hits each; the Statesmen were clipped 12-11 in hits.
Fabio Espinosa (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Wellness and Recreation) matched Almanza with a pair of runs brought in, while he, Hamblin, and Rhodes also scored twice in the loss.
Nick Seipel (Sr., Rosemont, Minn., Software Engineering), who posted four strikeouts, started well with three shutout innings before struggling in the fourth.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Kokomo, Ind. this weekend for four non-conference games. On Saturday, WPU meets Shawnee State (Ohio) in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Statesmen again face off with Shawnee State at 10 a.m. before playing Calumet-St. Joseph (Ind.) at 1 p.m.
