Statesmen Split Unconventional Doubleheader
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen began a four game set against the Clarke Pride on Sunday in unconventional fashion as Clarke played the role of the home team on Penn Field.
The series was scheduled to be played down in Peosta, but weather rendered the home field of the Pride unplayable for Saturday and Sunday, so the series began in Oskaloosa in the effort of staying as close to the schedule as possible.
The Statesmen split the first doubleheader with Clarke, dropping the first game by a score of 4-0 before taking the victory in the nightcap, 2-1. The doubleheader split moved the Statesmen’s record to 19-6 overall, while their Heart of America Athletic Conference record moved to 8-2.
WPU 0 CU 4
Pitching has been the name of the game for the Pride this year as their staff has pitched to a 2.44 ERA on the season, and that trend held up in the opening game of the series.
After three scoreless innings, Clarke was finally able to break through for a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and struck for three more in the bottom of the fifth. That proved to be more than enough, as Clarke shutout the Statesmen for only the second time this year, taking the victory in the opening contest by a score of 4-0.
Chase Stratton (Sr., Clearfield, Utah, Sports Management) was saddled with the loss in the game, bringing his record to 4-2 on the year. He threw another complete game, throwing six innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits while striking out ten in the process.
The Statesmen were only able to scatter five hits in the ballgame, with Jarrett Hunt (Sr., Logan, Utah, Digital Communications) and Alex Fisher (Jr., Sydney, Australia, Biology) accounting for two apiece.
WPU 2 CU 1
Another low scoring affair saw the first run score in the fourth inning again, but this time it was the Statesmen who struck first to take their first lead of the afternoon. Franklin Aparicio (So., Panama City, Panama) drove in the first run of the game, executing a squeeze bunt to the right side of the infield with two strikes to score Fisher.
Soren Graversen (Jr., Calgary, Alberta, Human Services) stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases empty, looking to do some damage. He did just that, overcoming the blustering winds coming in from right field and sending one over the right field fence. His team-leading eighth home run of the season gave the Statesmen a 2-0 lead.
The two runs proved to be plenty for the Statesmen staff. Jacob Wiechmann (Jr., Santa Cruz, Calif., Computer Science) was masterful, throwing 5.1 innings of one run ball while scattering four hits and three walks, striking out five. Clarke rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning, as a leadoff walk came around to score on a pinch hit double from the second batter of the inning, but a sacrifice bunt attempt spelled disaster for Clarke. With the leadoff hitter at the plate, the bunt attempt was popped in the air, and Wiechmann darted off the mound to make the play, going into a dive to make the catch before turning around and firing to second from his knees to complete the double play to effectively end the Clarke rally and keep the score 2-1.
Clarke threatened to erase the William Penn lead again in the sixth inning, putting runners on second and third with only one out. The Statesmen called on Stetson Denning (So., Queen Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) to put out the fire, and that was exactly what he did. Denning struck out his first two batters faced in just six pitches, putting yet another Clarke threat to bed and preserving the lead.
The seventh inning was far from boring, as Clarke continued to do their best to at least tie the score. Denning retired the first two batters he faced, but a double and a walk with two outs put the tying and go ahead runs on board for the three-hole hitter for Clarke, who had only been retired once across both games. He sent a hard line drive deep into center field, but Fisher ranged back and made a leaping catch with the game on the line to put the final Clarke rally to an end, sealing the victory.
Wiechmann earned the victory to improve his record to 2-1, and Denning earned his first save of the season. Denning finished with 1.2 scoreless innings pitched, dancing around the hit and the walk in the last inning and striking out three across his scoreless appearance.
What’s Next: The Statesmen will travel to Peosta tomorrow to finish up their series against Clarke, where William Penn will remain the visitors in more conventional fashion.
