Statesmen Post Three More Wins on Days 3 and 4 of Spring Break
Tucson, Ariz.–The William Penn softball team rallied to knock off a pair of squads receiving votes to highlight its third and fourth day of spring break.
WPU (6-6) defeated Dickinson State (N.D.) 8-5 and Jamestown (N.D.) 9-3 Tuesday, but had its winning streak snapped at four Wednesday with a 10-2 setback (5 innings) to Aquinas (Mich.). The navy and gold bounced back later on Wednesday to defeat Valley City State (N.D.) 4-1.
Dickinson State, Jamestown, and Aquinas were all receiving votes in the NAIA’s preseason poll.
WPU 8, Dickinson State 5
Down 5-3 entering its final at-bats of the seventh inning, WPU erupted for five runs to claim the victory. The Statesmen outhit the Blue Hawks 9-8, while both teams committed three errors.
William Penn opened up the contest with two runs in the top of the first, while DSU answered with three. Neither side added to its tally over the next three frames, while Valeria Quiroga (Jr., Brownsville, Texas, Sociology) pulled her squad even with a solo home run in the fifth.
Unfortunately, Dickinson State again had a reply, putting two on the board for a 5-3 advantage.
Nayely Martinez (So., Carson, Calif.) brought the score to 5-5 with a two-run single in the seventh and Kiana Young (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) contributed a two-run double to put the Statesmen on top for good. Carla La Rosa (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Business Management) added a sacrifice fly for an insurance run.
Bianca Castillo (Jr., Rio Rico, Ariz.) made sure there was not a third Blue Hawk response with a scoreless seventh frame that featured one strikeout. Chelsey Huff (Fr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science) was also excellent out of the bullpen, striking out two in a perfect sixth inning, while starting pitcher Peyton Parker (Sr., LaPorte City, Iowa, Sports Management) allowed just two earned runs in five innings of work. Parker struck out four without a walk in her performance.
Offensively, eight players managed a hit with Quiroga guiding the effort with two. Quiroga, Martinez, and Young all finished with two RBIs.
WPU 9, Jamestown 3
The Statesmen made late-inning production the theme for Tuesday as they erased a 3-0 deficit and pounced on the Jimmies for nine unanswered. Overall, William Penn posted a 13-7 advantage in hits.
Behind 3-0 after two innings and still facing that same deficit entering the bottom of the sixth, WPU went to work with La Rosa’s double plating the first two runs of three scored in the frame.
Quiroga then started a run of six-consecutive hits as the navy and gold managed a half-dozen on the board in the sixth. Charley Geguzis (So., Williamsburg, Iowa) came up with the biggest base knock, a two-run double.
Ashton Brown (So., Ottumwa, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering) started slow, but kept the margin manageable in giving up three runs (one earned) in three frames as the starter. Huff, with two Ks in three innings, and Castillo, with one strikeout in the seventh, took control and shut down Jamestown. Both hurlers permitted just two hits in their outings.
Quiroga continued to dazzle at the dish with three hits, while the duo of Geguzis and Sarah Gallivan (Jr., Round Lake, Ill., Secondary Education) both had a pair of base knocks. Geguzis and La Rosa were both good for two RBIs, while Geguzis and Martinez each rounded the pads twice as well.
Aquinas 10, WPU 2
WPU’s momentum carried over into Wednesday with two runs in the top of the first. Unfortunately, Aquinas was also hot, taking the lead for good with six in the bottom half. The Saints, who held a 9-5 advantage in hits and did not commit and error (WPU had two), scored all four times it came to the plate.
Geguzis was WPU’s top hitter at 2-for-2, while Martinez drove in a both Statesmen runs with a first-inning two-bagger.
WPU 4, Valley City State 1
WPU doubled up the Vikings in hits (10-5), but more importantly quadrupled them in runs. The first run was tallied in the third on a Quiroga single, while Young tripled and scored to get the festivities going in the fourth. Geguzis came all the way around, as did Martinez on a double by Allyson Stewart (Jr., Delta, B.C., Nursing).
The four runs proved to be more than enough run support for Huff, who struck out 10 (two BBs) in five innings in the circle. She allowed just one run on four hits, while Castillo locked up the win by blowing past VCSU batters to the tune of five strikeouts in two frames.
Lexi Resa (Sr., Liberty, Mo., Biology) took charge of the offense with a 3-for-3 outing, while Stewart was 2-for-4.
“Our ladies just keep finding ways to win,” Head Coach Mike Christner said. “They have been showing a lot of no-quit the last few games. It has been a total team effort.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Tucson Thursday, facing Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. and #19 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) at 5:45 p.m. (times are Central)
