William Penn Captures Conference Lead with Double Dip Sweep
The Statesmen softball team took two games from rival Grand View on Saturday
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen softball team blew a huge lead in the nightcap, but managed to rally back to complete a league sweep over its biggest rival and gain the top spot in the Midwest Collegiate Conference Saturday.
William Penn (27-13, 9-3 MCC), which won by scores of 6-1 and 11-10, took three of four against GVU this spring.
While the first score was more lopsided, it was just as tight of a battle, especially through the first five innings. The hosts tallied a run in the first when K.C. Routos (Sr., Newcastle, Wash., Physical Education) hit her team-leading third home run of the season.
The Vikings (15-20, 8-5 MCC) tied the game in the top of the fourth and it remained that way entering the bottom of the sixth.
Routos’ homer was the lone hit for William Penn to that point, but the offense suddenly began to fire on all cylinders in the sixth. Molly Miller (Sr., Kalona, Iowa, Business Management) led off with a single, then Jessica Christensen (Fr., Marysville, Wash., Sociology) added a double, followed by a triple off the bat of Bri Zerley (So., Monroe, Iowa, Biology). Routos wrapped up the explosion with another run-scoring single.
Ashley Kingery (Sr., Knoxville, Iowa, Public Accounting) also executed a perfect suicide squeeze in the frame. The Statesmen were actually outhit 6-5 and committed one more error (2-1) than the visitors, but Jennifer Whitehead (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Biology) was still able to secure the victory. The junior struck out ten without walking a batter.
Routos was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
The nightcap provided a little of everything. Grand View went ahead 2-0 in the first and then the teams exchanged one run each to make it 3-1 entering the bottom of the third. Christensen doubled in Miller in the first.
William Penn then tried to put the game out of reach with eight straight runs, including three in the third and five more in the fourth. The span featured eight hits, highlighted by two doubles and a triple. Routos produced the biggest hit, bringing in two of her teammates with a fourth-inning three-bagger.
Unfortunately, the Vikings refused to give up without a fight with six runs in the fifth. The spurt forced starting pitcher Carly Land (Sr., Mission Viejo, Calif., Education) out of the game. Grand View then regained its advantage at 10-9 with one more in the top of the seventh.
The Statesmen matched Grand View’s resilience in the bottom half as they were down to their final out before Ashlee Dennis (So., Loveland, Colo., Biology) knotted up the contest on a Viking error. Christensen then provided the hero’s walk-off hit, singling through the left side to plate Routos.
The squads combined for 24 hits (14-10 WPU) with Christensen going 3-for-4, while Miller was 3-for-5. Both players joined Routos with two RBIs. Cassie Lohman (Sr., Burbank, Calif., Sociology) also finished 2-for-4, while Dennis, Routos, and Miller all crossed home plate three times.
Whitehead replaced Land in the fourth and only permitted one earned run as three of WPU’s four errors were committed in the six-run fifth inning. The junior (13-7) recorded two strikeouts in 3 2/3 frames, while Land had five Ks.
Next: William Penn travels to La Crosse, Wis. Sunday to face Viterbo in another MCC doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
