Statesmen Grab Pair of Two-Run Victories
Parkville, Mo.–The William Penn baseball team got into the win column in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Tuesday, sweeping Park to split its four-game season series.
WPU (14-5, 2-2 Heart) won by scores of 8-6 and 10-8.
William Penn got on the board early in the opener as Franklin Aparicio (Sr., Panama City, Panama, Business Management) was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. Three batters later, Nick George (Jr., Sarina, Ontario, Sociology) plated Aparicio with a single.
Unfortunately, the lead quickly faded as Park posted four runs in the next three innings, jumping out to a 4-1 lead.
Down three entering the fourth inning, Nathan Jessell (Jr., Napa, Calif., Sociology) singled to left field. He was then moved to third via a fielder’s choice and a flyout before Blair Speas (So., O’Fallon, Mo., Undecided) singled to bring him around.
The bats really woke up for the navy and gold in the fifth as the first three batters got on to load the bases. Jessell then came through with an RBI single to cut the deficit down to one run. Justin Martinez (Jr., Bronx, N.Y., Sports Management) pushed a base knock through the left side of the infield to plate another run. With the bases once again loaded, this time for Aparicio, he came through with a bases-clearing double to give WPU an 8-4 lead.
Park responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it an 8-6 game heading into the late stages on the game, but William Penn was able to hold off the Pirates to claim the first contest.
Matt Shover (Grad., Barry, Ill., Master’s of Sports Management) got the win as he gave up six runs on nine hits in four innings. He struck out six batters and walked four. E.J. Roncone (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Sports Management) earned the save in the contest as he went 2 2/3 frames, permitting three hits with one walk and one strikeout in his outing.
Aparicio had a big performance with three RBIs, while Speas, Jessell, and Joel Holguin (So., San Bernardino, Calif., Sociology) all tallied two hits. Speas and Holguin also both walked once. The Statesmen overcame a slight 12-11 deficit in hits for the victory.
The nightcap saw Park hit the scoreboard first with a four-run first inning. The Statesmen got two of those runs back in the second inning, though, as a bases-loaded walk by Tim Jean (Sr., Libertyville, Ill., Public Accounting) was followed by a sacrifice fly from Abraham Arroyo (So., Camuy, P.R., Wellness and Recreation).
William Penn then tied the game up at 4-4 in the third inning behind a two-run double off the bat of Holguin. The Statesmen were fortunately not done, as in the top of the fourth, George recorded an RBI single to get his squad on top 5-4. The home team was able to again tie the game in the bottom half of the frame, however, and then followed that up with three additional tallies in the fifth inning to take an 8-5 edge.
The Statesmen fortunately responded with their own big frame, scoring five times in the sixth, headlined by a two-run single from George as WPU took the lead back for good. William Penn held a 13-9 margin in hits, which made up for two fielding errors.
Ty Harter (So., Galesburg, Ill.) struck out four as the starter for the Statesmen (4 2/3 innings). After the navy and gold claimed the lead, Stetson Denning (Sr., Queen Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) took the mound in the bottom half of the sixth inning, and shut down the Pirates, throwing a pair of no-hit, scoreless innings (two strikeouts) to get the save.
George finished the nightcap with three hits and three RBIs, while Holguin followed with three base knocks and two RBIs. Speas and Jessell had two hits each, while Jessell and Aparicio both touched home plate two times.
“The guys rebounded from Sunday’s games with two hard-fought wins today,” Head Coach Mike Laird said. “E.J. Roncone and Stetson Denning both pitched well to get their saves. I am also happy for Nick George as he continues to swing a very hot bat.”
Next Up: William Penn will travel down to Canton, Mo. Saturday to face off against Culver-Stockton in a Heart doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
