Willaim Penn Athletics News March 22 Pt 2
William Penn University Athletics
Penn Splits Road Twinbill with League Favorites
Des Moines–Hitters were confounded Tuesday afternoon as Penn and Grand View battled to a doubleheader split in Midwest Collegiate Conference baseball action.
Penn (15-7, 2-3 MCC) lost the opener 1-0, but answered back with a 4-2 win in the nightcap.
The Vikings (10-9, 3-2 MCC), who were picked by the MCC’s coaches to defend their regular season crown, scored the lone run of the first game in the second and the Statesmen were unable to rally.
Penn had only six baserunners in the opener, but challenged Viking hurler Ricky Pankey in the late frames, putting a man in scoring position in both the sixth and seventh, only to leave both stranded.
The Statesmen were outhit 6-3 with Chris Witrado (Sr., Fresno, Calif., West Hills CC) connecting on one of the base knocks, a double in the final inning.
Chris Freedman (Sr., Walnut, Calif., Citrus CC) pitched well in the loss. The senior (2-1) allowed the one run (earned) on six hits in a complete game.
The visitors remained flustered throughout much of the second game as Grand View pulled out to a 2-0 lead after the first and retained the advantage until late.
With their backs against the proverbial wall and a sweep just three outs away, the Statesmen began the seventh with back-to-back hits by their top two batters Jerry Hernandez (Sr., Moreno Valley, Calif., Chaffey CC), with a single, and Kyle Humphrey (Sr., Boise, Idaho, Skagit Valley CC), with a double.
Hernandez was then brought around on the next at-bat, a groundout by Witrado, while Humphrey touched home plate via a single by Brad Chin (Jr., San Rafael, Calif., San Rafael HS) to knot the score at 2-2.
Penn was fortunately not done, however, as Daniel Wehr (Jr., Sigourney, Sigourney HS) plated Chin on a double. Evelio Ahumada (Jr., Hacienda Heights, Calif., Citrus CC) also scored an insurance run on a single by Cory Randall (Sr., What Cheer, Tri-County HS).
Steve Enriquez (Jr., Castro Valley, Calif., Laney CC) closed the contest by sitting the Vikings down in order with three straight groundouts to shortstop to improve to 4-0. The junior gave up two runs (both earned) on six hits, while striking out two and walking one. Grand View collected only three hits in the final six innings of play.
Humphrey paced the offense with a 2-for-3 showing as Penn posted a 7-6 edge in hits.
Next: Penn travels to Davenport this weekend to face St. Ambrose in MCC action. Saturday’s double dip begins at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s single, nine-inning contest starts at noon.
Stream Homers in Weather-Shortened DH
Davenport–The teams nearly snuck in a pair before Mother Nature made an appearance as the Penn softball team opened its Midwest Collegiate Conference slate against St. Ambrose Tuesday.
The Lady Statesmen (16-6, 1-0 MCC) won the first game 4-1, but were trailing 5-3 in the top of the sixth (one out) of the nightcap when lightning postponed the game until a later date. The game will likely be concluded at one of the two MCC Weekend Tournaments, either April 2-3 in Oskaloosa or April 16-17 in Moline, Ill..
The visitors scored right out of the gate, putting two on the board in the top of the first as Khyia Lewis (Jr., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) doubled home Molly Miller (So., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) and Brianne Rowley (Jr., Hood River, Ore., Blue Mountain CC), both of whom reached base on singles.
Two more runs came across in the third as Ashley Stream (Jr., Chariton, Chariton HS) left the park for the fourth time this year, also plating Rowley. The four roundtrippers ties the junior’s career high, already matching last season’s tally.
Penn outhit the Queen Bees (3-8, 0-1 MCC) by an 11-3 margin, including two hits each from Rowley, Lewis, and Brittany Labbe (So., Northridge, Calif., Chaminade HS), who accomplished the feat in three at-bats. Eight of the nine batters that stepped into the box collected at least one base knock.
Jennifer Whitehead (Fr., Oskaloosa, Oskaloosa HS) did not need the run support, but gladly accepted it to improve to 8-4. The freshman southpaw allowed just one run (earned) on three hits. She struck out five and walked a pair.
Next: Penn is off for more than a week, returning to the diamond next Wednesday to host Mount Mercy in an MCC doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
Penn Receiving Votes in First Poll
Oskaloosa–The Lady Statesmen softball team is off to a solid start and the national raters have taken notice as the program is mentioned in the NAIA’s first poll of the spring.
Penn (16-6, 1-0 MCC) is unofficially 35th with 23 points. The Lady Statesmen were 30th in the preseason rating.
California Baptist retains its top spot from the preseason poll and now has 591 points and all 21 first-place votes. William Carey (Miss.), Concordia (Calif.), Cal State-San Marcos, and Lubbock Christian (Texas) round out the top five.
Morningside is the only other team from the state of Iowa receiving votes as the Mustangs are again unofficially 39th with 12 points.
Penn is off for more than a week, returning to the diamond next Wednesday to host Mount Mercy in an MCC doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
