William Penn Athletics News–April 26
William Penn University Athletics
Statesmen Take Share of Title and #1 Seed with Two Wins Against AIB
Des Moines–Just less than three weeks ago, the William Penn softball team was three games out of first place, but Head Coach Mike Christner knew his squad was still in prime position to win the league and Saturday afternoon it did just that with a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader sweep of AIB.
The Statesmen (32-17, 18-4 MCC) won by scores of 9-0 (6 innings) and 11-2 (6 innings) to claim at least a share of their seventh league crown–all since 2002. WPU owns the tiebreaker over Grand View (16-6), so even if it is swept in Sunday’s home double dip against the Vikings (1 p.m. start in Oskaloosa), the navy and gold will still serve as the #1 seed for next week’s league tournament. The MCC’s road to nationals will once again go through Oskaloosa.
The visitors, who have won six in a row (ten straight in MCC play), knew what they had to do Saturday and wasted little time in executing their plan. Jorden Steele (Jr., Tacoma, Wash., Physical Education) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the first run in the opening frame.
Unfortunately, the offense stalled the next two innings, getting back on track in the fourth with an RBI double by Sonia Ray (Sr., San Diego, Calif., Physical Education). Four more runs were tacked on in the fifth, highlighted by run-scoring doubles from Steele and Jessica Christensen (So., Marysville, Wash., Sociology), while Bri Zerley (Jr., Monroe, Iowa, Biology) also drove in a score with a single.
Brittanee Grove (Jr., Runnells, Iowa, Elementary Education) then brought in one of three runs in the sixth with a single. Christensen’s double was good for another run, as was Zerley’s two-bagger.
The victors outhit the Eagles 9-4 with Christensen, Zerley, and Steele all finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs each. Brittanee Grove had one hit, walked twice, and scored three times, while Steele, Christensen, and Sydney Edwards (Jr., Galesburg, Ill., Psychology & Biology) all came around two times.
Jennifer Whitehead (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) gave up just four hits in her eighth shutout of the season. The senior struck out four against one walk. In the win, Whitehead, who already owns several school records, put her name on one more by becoming the career leader in strikeouts (now with 648). She surpasses current Assistant Coach Steph Christner’s mark of 644.
It was much of the same in the nightcap with AIB’s two first-inning runs the lone difference. Brittanee Grove and Steele both managed RBI doubles and Zerley and Steviee Grove (Sr., Runnells, Iowa, History/Government) tallied RBI singles in the four-run first frame.
AIB (7-34, 1-21 MCC) answered with two runs, but the final seven runs were posted by the navy and gold. Steele scored in the third, while Christensen and Brittanee Grove came around in the fourth.
The Eagle defense became porous in the final two frames and WPU’s potent offense took advantage with two more scores in the fifth and sixth. William Penn batters also reached base four times due to walks and once on a hit-by-pitch in those last two innings.
Brittanee Grove possessed the best plate presence with a 3-for-3 showing (two walks) that included two RBIs and two runs scored. Steele was also perfect by going 2-for-2 (one walk) with two RBIs and two runs scored. Steviee Grove (2-for-3) and Zerley (2-for-4) also had multiple base knocks. Edwards and Ashlee Dennis (Jr., Loveland, Colo., Biology) scored twice as well in game two as WPU held a 12-4 edge in hits.
Whitehead improved to 22-7 by giving up two runs (both earned) on one hit in four innings. She had two K’s against two BB’s. Brittanee Grove worked two innings in relief, shutting out AIB on three hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
Hopes of Repeat Title Dashed in Sweep by AIB
Des Moines–The Statesmen baseball team will be playing solely for seeding on the final day of the regular season after falling twice to AIB in a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader Saturday.
William Penn (24-16, 11-11 MCC) lost by scores of 9-5 and 5-2. Entering the day, the navy and gold had a slight chance to defend its league crown, but even if it had come out on top, St. Ambrose’s two wins over Clarke guaranteed WPU could not accomplish the feat. SAU (16-8), Viterbo (14-7), and AIB (13-7) are still vying for the title going into the final days. William Penn could possibly finish as high as third in the MCC, but could also fall down to fifth.
The Statesmen, who outhit the Eagles (20-17 overall) by a 12-10 tally in the opener, took an early lead with a run in the first inning. Ryan Keeton (Jr., McCordsville, Ind., Biology) singled home Kyle Mauricio (Sr., Ardene Hills, Minn., Physical Education) in the top half, but AIB rallied back with five runs in the bottom side and never trailed again.
Stan Simmons (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Physical Education) was part of a three-run second frame that got William Penn back into it. The senior left the park for his first and WPU’s first home run of the entire spring. The two-run shot was coupled with a Mauricio single that plated William Vazquez (Fr., North Hollywood, Calif., General Accounting) to narrow the margin to 5-4.
The sides exchanged one run each over the next two half innings, making it 6-5 entering the bottom of the third. Simmons brought in Sho Serrano (Jr., Lancaster, Calif., Physical Education) with a one-bagger. The Eagles extended their advantage, however, with two in the fourth and one more in the fifth.
Mauricio paced the visiting offense with a 3-for-4 outing, while Keeton, Simmons, and Vazquez were all 2-for-3. Simmons finished with three RBIs.
Corey Lathram (Sr., Brentwood, Calif., Physical Education) had a short outing, being tagged for eight runs (all earned) on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings. The senior had one strikeout and one walk in falling to 4-4.
Juvenal Terrazas (Jr., Sylmar, Calif., Physical Education) had a more productive showing out of the bullpen, allowing one run (earned) on one hit in 2 1/3 frames.
The nightcap also saw WPU hold an advantage in hits (7-5), but again it was not be enough. This time around, AIB scored the contest’s first four runs with one each in the first and second and two more in the fourth.
William Penn finally got on the board in the fifth when Mauricio touched home plate on a Simmons double. Serrano also drove in Cory DeRush (Jr., Grand Junction, Colo., Business Management) with a seventh-inning single, but it was not enough to pull off a twinbill split.
Mauricio paced the hitters by going 2-for-3, while Ryan Marshall (Jr., Quartz Hill, Calif., Sociology) walked twice. Jon Davis (Jr., Hayward, Calif., Undecided) was saddled with the loss to go to 1-3. He permitted four runs (all earned) on three base knocks in 3 1/3 innings. The junior struck out two against four walks. Jacob Logan (Jr., Galesburg, Ill., Psychology) was strong in relief as the Eagles scored just once (earned) off two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Logan tallied two strikeouts.
Next: William Penn wraps up the regular season Sunday by again facing AIB in another MCC doubleheader beginning at noon.
