Statesmen Take Three on the Road at Graceland
Lamoni–The Statesmen traveled to Lamoni for a four game set against the Graceland Yellowjackets.
William Penn returned home having won three of four against their hosts, splitting the first day with a 12-10 win and a 5-1 defeat, and ending the series with victories of 17-4 and 13-3.
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The bats got off to a quick start aided by a trio of free passes as Adrian Garcia (Sr., Ontario, Calif., Mechanical Engineering) Jarrett Hunt (Sr., Logan, Utah, Digital Communications), and Dominic Bravo (Sr., Downey, Calif., Digital Communications) were all given an easy base, with Hunt and Bravo getting dosed. Alex Fisher (Jr., Sydney, Australia, Biology) came to bat with the bases juiced and two away and delivered in a big way, launching a three run double to get the scoring started early.
Not to be outdone, the Yellowjackets cut into the Statesmen lead in the second with two of their own. The score remained at 3-2 until the top of the fourth inning, when the Statesmen exploded for six runs. Seven of the first eight Statesmen batters reached base, including doubles by Tanner Bedier (So., Bondurant, Iowa, Sports Management) and Snaider Torrealba (Sr., Barquisimeto, Venezuela, Sports Management).
Graceland entered chip away mode with the score now sitting at 9-2. The hosts scored one in the home half of the fourth and two more in the fifth to cut the lead to four, but the navy and gold bats weren’t done just yet, tacking on three more on a bomb from Hunt. His first homer of the year gave the Statesmen a 12-5 lead and helped them fend off a furious rally from Graceland in the seventh to win the game 12-10.
Chase Stratton (Sr., Clearfield, Utah, Sports Management) started on the bump for the Statesmen in game one. He pitched 4.2 innings, but struggled with his command in the game. He allowed five runs (three earned) while scattering five hits and six walks, striking out seven. Ty Harter (Fr., Galesburg, Ill.) relieved Stratton, throwing 1.2 innings while allowing three earned runs on three hits. Harter also walked two and struck out three. Zach Edgar (Sr., Elgin, Ill., Business Management) recorded the final two outs of the game, allowing two hits and two earned runs.
Five different Statesmen recorded multiple hits in the ballgame with Bedier, Garcia, Hunt, Torrealba, and Franklin Aparicio (So., Panama City, Panama) all recording two hits each. Hunt led the way with a four RBI showing, and Fisher finished with three of his own.
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In game two, it was Graceland’s turn to jump out to a three run lead in the first inning, getting to starter Jacob Wiechmann (Jr., Santa Cruz, Calif., Computer Science) early on. The Statesmen were able to push a run across on an RBI single by Garcia, but the offense went inexplicably cold as William Penn was shut down the rest of the way, ultimately losing the nightcap by a score of 5-1.
The Statesmen only recorded five hits in the game after posting 13 in game one. Garcia posted the only multi-hit performance and drove in the only run in the game.
Wiechmann was credited with the loss after allowing five earned runs in his four innings of work. Nick George (Fr., Sarnia, Ontario) pitched the rest of the way, walking three en route to throwing two scoreless innings.
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Determined to get off on the right foot, the Statesmen offense got Saturday’s action started with eight runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three run blast from Soren Graversen (Jr., Calgary, Alberta, Human Services). Five more runs put the game well out of reach early on as Garcia punctuated the five run frame with his third run scored in two innings.
Graceland attempted to chip away with three runs in the third inning, but a run each in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings pushed the total run scoring output to 17 on the ballgame, the second highest offensive outburst from the Statesmen on the season and plenty of support to carry them to a game three victory.
Teddy Natter (Jr., Reno, Nev., Business Management) earned the victory, allowing four runs across his four innings of work, walking eight and striking out eight. Michael Carr (Jr., Trabuco Canyon, Calif., Sports Management) brought it home, throwing three scoreless innings to close out the game and striking out five in the process.
The Statesmen were incredibly busy on the basepaths. Garcia, Bravo, and Jameson Hart (Sr., Sarnia, Ontario, Sports Management) all scored three times in the contest, with courtesy runner Rhett Zelinsky (Fr., Brookings, S.D.) also scoring twice.
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After a scoreless two innings, the Statesmen bats came back to life to start the third inning. Four doubles in the inning from Torrealba, Hunt, Bravo, and Hart contributed to a six run frame as William Penn jumped out to another big lead.
Graceland responded with two runs in the third, but a two run blast from Hunt got those runs right back. His second home run of the series put the Statesmen up 8-2, and the lead only increased from there. Three more runs in the fifth inning, one in the sixth, and one final run in the seventh run led the Statesmen to their final score of 13-3.
Brian Thomas (Fr., Shingle Springs, Calif.) got the start and earned the win in the contest, and Stetson Denning (So., Queen Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) came on in relief to close out the game.
Hunt turned in another strong offensive performance, driving in four runs and coming around to score three times. Garcia scored two more times, and Bedier scored twice as well. Torrealba recorded two extra-base hits and came around to score both times.
“The guys performed much better at the plate Saturday, and the pitchers threw strong innings,” said Head Coach Mike Laird. “Defense had a couple miscues in the infield again. We’ll have to play near flawless next weekend vs. CMU.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen have their work cut out for them next weekend as #4 Central Methodist comes into town for a four game set. First pitch on April 10 will be at 1 PM.
