Statesmen Sweep Saints in Home Opener
Oskaloosa–The William Penn baseball team opened home play with two impressive wins over Presentation as it started a four-game non-conference series Saturday.
WPU (10-3) defeated the Saints by scores of 19-1 and 6-0.
After a shutdown first inning from Nick George (Jr., Sarina, Ontario, Sociology), the navy and gold offense got the bats going right away. Paced by a two-run home run by Abraham Arroyo (So., Camuy, P.R., Wellness and Recreation), the Statesmen posted eight runs in the first inning.
The hits kept coming in the second inning for William Penn as Blair Speas (So., O’Fallon, Mo., Undecided) doubled down the right field line to score two runs. Moments later, Leland Riley II (Fr., Victorville, Calif., Kinesiology) got in on the action with a single that plated two more runs for the navy and gold, helping them get out to a 14-0 lead through two frames.
In the third inning, the Statesmen tallied four more runs, headlined by an RBI single by Speas and a two-run triple from Franklin Aparicio (Sr., Panama City, Panama, Business Management).
George was dominate through his five innings of work, not allowing a single hit, while striking out six batters and only allowing one walk. Camdon Anderson (Fr., Galesburg, Ill., Sports Management) came on in relief for George in the sixth and recorded three quick outs. In the bottom half of the inning, William Penn pushed one more run across to take a 19-0 lead heading into the top of the seventh.
The seventh was the first time the Saints were able to get anything going. Despite not tallying a hit, they loaded the bases and eventually scored their only run of the contest on a wild pitch.
Although the visitors got on the board, the duo of George and Anderson denied the Saints a base knock as they combined for a no-hitter.
WPU outhit the Saints 13-0 in the first matchup with Riley and Dillan Schrock (Sr., Shingle, Springs, Calif.,) managing three hits apiece. Speas and Nathan Jessell (Jr., Napa, Calif., Sociology) were next with two base knocks, while Speas and Arroyo topped William Penn with four RBIs each. Aparicio followed with three RBIs of his own, while Tim Jean (Sr., Libertyville, Ill., Public Accounting) and Riley II both drove in two in the opener.
After the offensive explosion in the first contest, it was surprising that runs were hard to come by in the nightcap. Both teams went scoreless in the first inning, but Jessell started off the second with a walk. He then stole second a couple pitches later before a single by Schrock advanced him to third. Moments later, Jessell came across to score on a wild pitch, giving the navy and gold a 1-0 lead.
One run was all the help Stetson Denning (Sr., Queen Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) needed as he kept the Saints off the board. Denning’s teammates did assist him, though, with four insurance runs in the fifth. A wild pitch allowed Schrock to score before a two-run single by Aparicio and a RBI single from Arroyo pushed the lead to 5-0. In the sixth inning, Trevor Dooley (Jr., Prole, Iowa, Computer Science) singled and stole second, while Speas drove him in on another one-bagger to cap the day’s scoring. The navy and gold won despite being outhit 6-5.
Matt Shover (Grad., Barry, Ill., Master’s of Sports Management) relieved Denning in the seventh and unfortunately permitted a leadoff triple. The graduate locked in after that and struck out the next three batters to close out the shutout.
As the starter, Denning threw six scoreless innings on five hits, while walking two and striking out three.
“It is good to get a couple wins at home,” Head Coach Mike Laird said. “Our pitchers were sharp and we were able to stay the course and keep some of their runners from scoring.”
Next Up: The Statesmen finish their four-game set against Presentation Sunday at Penn Field beginning at 12 p.m.
