Statesmen Win Two Games in Joplin
Joplin, Mo.–The William Penn baseball team battled four teams during a weekend trip to Kansas, leaving with a 2-2 record in those four games.
WPU 0, LC 9
The Statesmen found themselves in an early hole after allowing four runs in the first, and they unfortunately could not dig themselves out from the early deficit.
Lyon went on to add two more in the second and another in the third, and the offense truly never got going, managing only three hits in the shutout loss. Two of those were off the bat of Trevor Dooley (So., Prole, Iowa, Computer Science), who continued his strong start to the season with a 2-3 showing.
Brian Thomas (So., Shingle Springs, Calif., Sports Management) was saddled with the loss after allowing seven runs (five earned) across four innings. Austin Waterhouse (So., Keota, Iowa, Sports Management) closed out the game, allowing two unearned runs and striking out three across the final three frames.
WPU 2, BCU 0
The bats only managed two runs in game two, but a dominant effort from Nick George (So., Sarnia, Ontario) made those two runs stand out as William Penn earned their first shutout victory of the season.
After going down in order in the first, Nathan Jessell (Fr., Napa, Calif., Sociology) opened up the second with a single, and moved to third after a single from Jameson Hart (Sr., Sarnia, Ontario, Sports Management) and a fielder’s choice. He got WPU on the board first after breaking for home on a wild pitch, and that one run proved to be all George needed.
George breezed through the first three innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five, including fanning the side in the third. He set the Chargers down in order in the fourth and fifth as well, and the Statesmen gave him some insurance in their half of the fifth. Leading off the fifth inning, Soren Graversen (Jr., Calgary, Alberta, Human Services) got ahold of one and cleared the outfield fence to make it 2-0.
Now working with a two-run advantage, George found himself in some trouble after allowing a pair of hits. With both runners in scoring position and the tying run on second, George induced a flyout to center to escape the jam, before finishing his masterpiece in the seventh after stranding another pair of runners.
George’s final line for the night was five hits scattered across seven innings, while striking out eight and not issuing a free pass. The complete game shutout gave him his second victory in as many starts to start the season.
The Statesmen managed only four hits, but still managed to bring home two runs. The big hit was Graversen’s fifth inning blast, his second of the year.
WPU 11, HC 4 (13 innings)
The navy and gold opened Sunday quietly at the plate, managing only two hits across the first five innings. On the other side, Hastings scratched across runs in both the second and third to jump ahead 2-0.
The Statesmen finally showed life in the sixth, as Alonzo Zuniga (Fr., Covina, Calif., Psychology and Sociology) was hit to begin the frame. Tim Jean (So., Libertyville, Ill., Public Accounting) promptly doubled to put two runners in scoring position, and Tanner Bedier (Jr., Bondurant, Iowa, Industrial Technology) cashed in with a single. Two batters later, Hart tied the game with another hit.
After a scoreless seventh, the game went on to extras. The eighth and ninth also did not see a conclusion, so the game moved on to 10. In the 10th inning, the international tiebreaker rules came into effect, so Graversen started the inning on second base. Alex Fisher (Sr., Sydney, Australia, Biology) took advantage of the opportunity and promptly singled him home to give WPU a 3-2 lead.
Hastings cashed in during their half of the 10th, so the game continued on. Franklin Aparicio (Jr., Panama City, Panama) began the 11th as the runner on second, and he was bunted over to third. Carson Hauk (So., Plainview, Texas, Business Management) came through with a one-out single to make the game 4-3, but Hastings followed suit to tie the game once again.
The 12th saw no score, and Jean began the 13th on second. Bedier and Aparicio were dosed to load the bases, and Hauk drew a free pass to drive in a run. Hart followed with a single and all runners advanced 90 feet, and Jessell followed with a two-RBI single to break the game open. Zuniga double in another, and Jean, who began the inning as the extra runner, double him home for William Penn’s seventh run of the inning, making it 11-4. Stetson Denning (Jr., Queens Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) closed out the 13th with relative ease, ending the marathon affair.
Denning earned the victory after throwing the final 4.1 innings. Denning, Ty Harter (So., Galesburg, Ill.), and Bret Whiffen (So., Green Bay, Wis., Exercise Science) split the game fairly evenly, all accounting for 4.1 innings of the 13 in the game. Harter and Denning allowed two runs apiece, while Whiffen was spotless during his time on the mound.
WPU 1, CU 8
Dooley singled in the first, but both teams went down scoreless in the opening frame. The two then traded 1-2-3 innings, but Concordia broke through for a pair of runs in the third. RhettZelinsky (So., Brookings, S.D.) and Dooley both singled to try to answer, but they were stranded as the Bulldogs held the lead.
WPU struggled to generate scoring chances on offense, but CU continued to add to their lead, scoring two more in the fourth and another in the fifth. The Statesmen added one in the sixth, but could not build a big enough rally to overcome the deficit.
Tyler Gregory (Sr., Peoria Heights, Ill., Exercise Science) got the start in the final game, tossing four innings and allowing four runs (three earned) and striking out two in his season debut. Zelinsky and Dooley each turned in multi-hit performances, accounting for four of the team’s six hits.
What’s Next: The Statesmen have another set of four teams waiting for them this weekend when they travel to Kansas City. They will begin their weekend on Saturday with a 2:30 PM matchup against Mid-America Christian before playing Saint Mary (Kan.) at 5 PM. On Sunday, they face Bethany (Kan.) at 11 AM and Columbia at 1:30 PM to conclude the weekend.
