Statesmen Open with Pair of Tight Victories at Dordt Dome Tournament
Sioux Center–The William Penn softball team snatched a pair of close calls Friday as it began its 2025 campaign at the Dordt Dome Tournament.
WPU (2-0) defeated Morningside 6-4 in eight innings and then held off Mount Marty 3-2 in the second outing of the day.
The navy and gold dropped both Great Plains Athletic Conference members with stout pitching and timely hitting.
William Penn, which posted a 12-8 edge in base knocks, jumped out ahead against the Mustangs with a run in each of the first two frames.
Laila Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) doubled home Peyton Naranjo (So., Ripon, Calif., Biology) for the first run of the season, while Rylee Riesberg (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) scored off one of MU’s two errors in the contest.
The Mustangs answered with two runs of their own to knot the contest after three innings on the diamond. The Statesmen recaptured the edge in the fourth, however, with Riesberg again touching home plate via a fielding mistake. Later in the fourth, Naranjo’s sacrifice fly was deep enough to allow Marin Frazee (So., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) to tag up and score.
Unfortunately, Morningside responded with a pair of tallies in the fifth. Neither side was able to break the tie in the sixth or seventh and extra frames ensued.
Utilizing the international tiebreak rule, Frazee started the top of the eighth at second base and was promptly brought in on a single by Tori Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education). Smith then rounded the pads as well when her sister Laila punched a one-bagger into the outfield.
The Mustangs loaded the bases in the bottom half, but pitcher Chelsey Huff (Sr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science) notched her 11th and final strikeout to secure the complete game win. The senior grinded in a rollercoaster outing, giving up four runs on eight hits and walking five batters.
Six Statesmen produced a hit in the opener with Laila Smith going 4-for-5 with two RBIs. The trio of Naranjo, Laila Pelds (Jr., Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Elementary Education), and Ella Pierce (Sr., McClelland, Iowa, Business Management) all tallied two hits as well. Naranjo also walked once in the leadoff role.
The Statesmen found a different path to victory against the Lancers as they had to overcome a 10-4 deficit in hits.
WPU, which never trailed all day, again got on top as Pelds’ first-inning single plated Naranjo.
With the matchup knotted at 1-1 in the third, Bailee Rinn (Jr., Omaha, Neb., Biology) brought in Jessice Lathrop (Fr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) on a single. Rinn herself then scored later in the inning on another RBI one-bagger by Pelds.
Despite a last-inning run by MMU, the navy and gold survived as Madie Anderson (Sr., Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Elementary Education) stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base to post her own complete game victory.
The senior, like Huff before her, worked through an uneven outing to come out victorious. She permitted two runs on 10 scattered hits, while striking out eight and walking three.
Offensively, Pelds had the best showing as she was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
“We knocked the rust off, had a lot of fun, got to feel some pressure, and fortunately came away with two wins so it was a good day,” Head Coach Laura North said. “We had a messy lineup card in our first game with a lot of players contributing. It was a great team win. We had a late schedule change before our second game so I am not sure we were quite warmed up and ready to play, and our offense struggled to really get anything going. Three runs, however, ended up being enough for Madie Anderson. She and Chelsey Huff were really good in the circle and did their jobs.”
“I am super proud of all the ladies and how they competed today,” North added.
Next Up: William Penn remains in Sioux Center Saturday to face host Dordt at 3 p.m. and Mount Marty at 7 p.m.
