William Penn Athletics News–March 30
William Penn University Athletics
Whitehead’s No-Hitter Guides WPU to Pitchers’ Duel Sweep
Oskaloosa–On a day when pitching ruled supreme, it was Jennifer Whitehead (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) who was the best of the best as William Penn swept Viterbo in a Midwest Collegiate Conference softball doubleheader Sunday.
The Statesmen (16-7, 4-0 MCC) won by scores of 1-0 and 4-1 to extend their winning streak to a season-best five games.
The opener featured just three hits with none by the visiting V-Hawks (6-16, 1-5 MCC). Whitehead (10-1) hit the second batter she faced, but then reeled off 12 straight outs, including six consecutive strikeouts. She beaned another Viterbo player in the fifth, but just as it did in the first, her defense turned a double play.
No other hitter reached base as the senior southpaw faced the bare minimum of 21 batters. Whitehead recorded 12 strikeouts in her second no-hitter of the year (fourth career).
Her teammates unfortunately also struggled at the plate as VU pitcher Alison Vanhavermaet went pitch for pitch with her navy and gold counterpart. Bri Zerley (Jr., Monroe, Iowa, Biology) broke up the no-hit bid in the second inning, but no other base knocks were managed until the sixth.
An inning after leaving the two runners in scoring position, WPU finally broke through. Malloree Grove (Sr., Runnells, Iowa, Physical Education) led off the sixth with a single up the middle and two batters later, sister Brittanee Grove (Jr., Runnells, Iowa, Elementary Education) pulled a single through the right side.
Viterbo had already committed two prior errors, but its third was most costly. Brittanee’s single went under the glove of a charging VU right fielder and the ball rolled all the way to the fence. Malloree sped around the pads and easily scored the game’s lone run.
Vanhavermaet was also back in the circle for the second game. She was equally as strong as WPU was held off the scoreboard through the first four frames. Lunden Young (Jr., Lewiston, Idaho, Physical Education) was getting the job done for the Statesmen as well, giving up only one run in the third.
A lightbulb fortunately clicked for the Statesmen in the fifth, beginning with a leadoff triple by Jorden Steele (Jr., Tacoma, Wash., Physical Education). She tied the matchup by coming home on a single by pinch-hitter Veronica Castro (Sr., Riverside, Calif., Elementary Education), while Sonia Ray (Sr., San Diego, Calif., Physical Education) re-entered and scored two batters later on another triple by Malloree Grove.
It became 3-1 when Sydney Edwards (Jr., Galesburg, Ill., Psychology & Biology) singled in Grove.
Young battled through jams in the first five innings, but a leadoff walk in the sixth ended her outing. Whitehead came in from the bullpen and shut down the V-Hawks in order in the sixth.
The home squad produced its final run in the bottom half with some questionable baserunning. Zerley led off with a single and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt and throwing error. She likely should have been tagged out in a rundown on the next play, but fortunately slid under the tag at home plate to cap the day’s scoring.
Eight different players had a hit as William Penn bettered Viterbo 8-5 in that department. Young (4-3) permitted just one run (earned) on five hits in five frames. She struck out four and walked three. Whitehead garnered her first save of the season with two perfect innings (three Ks).
Next: William Penn travels to Davenport Wednesday to face St. Ambrose in an MCC twinbill starting at 3 p.m.
Statesmen Rally for Another Split
Oskaloosa–An extra-inning thriller helped the Statesmen baseball to split a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader against Viterbo Sunday.
William Penn (15-9, 2-4 MCC) lost the opener 4-3, but rebounded to win the nightcap 8-7 in eight innings.
The hosts went up 2-0 in the third inning of the first game when the V-Hawks (13-11, 2-2 MCC) committed three fielding errors. The first mistake allowed Kenny Hall (Jr., Morgan Hill, Calif., Exercise Science) to touch home plate, while Kyle Mauricio (Sr., Ardene Hills, Minn., Physical Education) came around from second when the Viterbo pitcher launched a pickoff attempt into center field and the center fielder could also not handle the ball.
Viterbo answered with one in the fourth, took the lead for good with two in the fifth, and capped off its scoring with one more in the seventh.
The Statesmen, who held a 7-6 advantage in hits, refused to quit though, as Collin Schulz (Fr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Undecided) scored on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice out of Stan Simmons (Sr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Physical Education) to narrow the margin to 4-3 in the seventh. Unfortunately, with the bases still packed, Patrick Roxbury (Jr., Canyon Country, Calif., Sociology) lined out to third to conclude the contest.
Only three WPU batters recorded base knocks with Hall finishing 3-for-3. Enrique Alvarado (Sr., Lancaster, Calif., Sociology) went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Sho Serrano (Jr., Lancaster, Calif., Physical Education) was 2-for-4.
Starter Kyle Kutzler (Fr., Kenosha, Wis., Industrial Technology) was saddled with the loss in a 4 1/3-inning performance. The freshman (2-2) allowed three runs (all earned) on four hits (two walks). Corey Lathram (Sr., Brentwood, Calif., Physical Education) appeared out of the bullpen and limited the visitors to only one unearned run on two hits in 2 2/3 frames (two strikeouts).
Shockingly, the nightcap actually provided even more excitement. William Penn went out ahead in the first when Serrano scored on the first of six VU fielding miscues. The home team was also found wanting on the defensive end, however, with four errors of its own.
The V-Hawks came back with two in the second, while the game was knotted up at 2-2 in the bottom half as Hall touched the final base on an error by the third baseman.
Viterbo hit the first of its two home runs in the third–a three-run shot–but the navy and gold got one run back on an RBI groundout by Brian Williams (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Physical Education) to plate Simmons to make it 5-3 after three innings.
The deficit remained two into the sixth frame. Matt Emerson (Jr., Saugus, Calif., Business Management), who entered the game an inning earlier, and made his presence felt with a two-run double to bring in Schulz and pinch-hitter Ryan Keeton (Jr., McCordsville, Ind., Biology). Neither side scored in the seventh to force extra play.
Viterbo took the advantage right back in the eighth, though, with a two-run roundtripper, but once again the Statesmen did not fold under the pressure. The bottom of the eighth opened with a walk by pinch-hitter Nick Perez (So., Greeley, Colo., Physical Education) followed by a Schulz single. They advanced 90 more feet on a sacrifice bunt by Serrano. Then the navy and gold got an assist by sloppy VU defense.
Emerson singled home pinchrunner Caleb Cline (Sr., Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Physical Education), while Schulz also came around on an error by the left fielder to tie the contest. Simmons then reached on another error before Roxbury loaded the pads on a base on balls. With no room for error for Viterbo, that is exactly what gave the home team the win as a wild pitch brought in Emerson for the win.
WPU bettered its foe 10-9 in hits with Emerson leading the way as he had a 2-for-2, three-RBI showing off the bench. Hall and Schulz (two runs) were 2-for-3, while Serrano and Williams drew a pair of walks each.
Jon Davis (Jr., Hayward, Calif., Undecided) worked 7 1/3 innings, but did not figure into the decision. He permitted seven runs (only two earned) on eight hits, while striking out five with two walks. Matt Vasquez (Jr., Lancaster, Calif., Business Management) entered in the eighth and collected the win to improve to 4-1. The junior struck out one (one hit) in 2/3 of an inning.
Next: William Penn travels to Baldwin City, Kan., Wednesday to face Baker in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
