William Penn Starts League Slate with Road Sweep of Pirates
Parkville, Mo.–The Statesmen softball team nearly recorded a shutout in the opener and then rallied to finish off the sweep as it battled with Park in its Heart of America Athletic Conference-opening doubleheader Friday.
WPU (13-13, 2-0 Heart) won by scores of 3-1 and 6-4.
Despite being outhit 8-5 in the first contest, the Statesmen actually kept the Pirates (11-9, 1-3 Heart) off the board until the final half inning.
Through one at-bat, it looked as if the navy and gold were going to roll as reigning Heart Player of the Week Laila Smith (Fr., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) continued her torrid hitting with a leadoff home run that cleared the left-center fence.
Later in the frame, Chelsey Huff (Jr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science), who reached on an error, scored as Nayely Martinez (Sr., Carson, Calif., Business Management) stole second base. When PU attempted to throw Martinez out at second, Huff scampered home for a 2-0 advantage.
The lead remained two until the fifth inning when Smith scored on a wild pitch. The freshman finished 3-for-4 in the opener.
Huff did not waste the run support, keeping Park off balance throughout the contest. Unfortunately, after recording the first two outs of the seventh inning, the junior ran into trouble and eventually allowed the tying run to move into scoring position.
She was able to close it out, though, inducing a groundout to finish the victory. Huff gave up just one run on eight scattered hits. She struck out five and walked one to take the win.
WPU did damage in the first inning of the nightcap as well. Peyton Naranjo (Fr., Ripon, Calif., Biology) drove a ball deep enough to left field for Laila Smith to tag up and score. Later in the frame, Crystal Warren (Fr., Las Vegas, Nev., Secondary Education) singled home Charley Geguzis (Sr., Williamsburg, Iowa, Business Management).
Park responded with two tallies in its first two frames, but the visitors recaptured the lead in the third on a single by Naranjo that scored pinchrunner Bailee Rinn (So., Omaha, Neb., Biology).
The lead was short-lived, though, as the hosts scored once in the third and once more in the fifth.
Down 4-3 entering the seventh, the Statesmen looked to accomplish what the Pirates could not in the opener and rally for the win.
Laila Smith led off by reaching on an error (PU had three errors overall) and later scored the tying run on a Huff single. Huff was 3-for-4 in the second game.
Naranjo collected her third RBI of the bout two batters later to plate Huff, while the navy and gold tacked on an insurance run as Martinez touched home plate via a passed ball.
Relief pitcher Tori Smith (Fr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) made sure the lead held, finishing off the victory by rolling Park into a game-ending double play.
William Penn, which overcame a slight 11-10 deficit in hits, had seven individuals notch at least one base knock. In addition to Huff’s trio of hits, Naranjo had two, while Laila Smith and Alexis Price (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Elementary Education) both contributed one along with one walk.
Emily Bryant (Sr., University Place, Wash., Nursing) had a tough outing in 4 1/3 innings as WPU’s starter, but kept the Statesmen in the game. Tori Smith then shut down the Pirates, giving up just one hit in 2 2/3 innings (one strikeout) to earn the win.
“These were two quality wins; starting off 2-0 in the conference is great,” Head Coach Laura North said. “Our pitching was really clutch today. Chelsey Huff was in control throughout; getting an early lead allowed her to work a really good game. Emily Bryant battled hard and was better than what her stat line showed. She had a tough zone to work against, but found a way to get outs. Tori Smith then came in and gave us just what we needed to finish. It was a great outing for all of our pitchers.”
“Offensively, it was a fun day as well,” North added. “Laila Smith is hot right now, Chelsey has found her groove, and Peyton Naranjo stepped up. Charley Geguzis was amazing in the field as well.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Atchison, Kan. Saturday to face Benedictine in a Heart doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
