William Penn Takes Down Iowa Wesleyan 5-2 in Road Action
William Penn University Athletics
Mount Pleasant–The Statesmen baseball team kept sizzling Tuesday as it knocked off defending league champion Iowa Wesleyan 5-2 in Midwest Collegiate Conference play.
William Penn (11-12, 5-2 MCC), winners of nine of its last 11 games, moved into sole possession of second place in the league, percentage points behind 4-1 St. Ambrose.
The visitors went on top in the first and never trailed all afternoon.
Stanley Muller (Sr., Tucson, Ariz., Cochise CC) continued to swing a hot bat by leading off with a double. He later scored on a groundout by Jayme Mueller (Jr., Mundelein, Ill., College of Lady County CC), while Nick Kirby (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Antelope Valley CC) came around on a single by Brad Chin (Sr., San Rafael, Calif., San Rafael HS).
The Tigers (14-17, 5-3 MCC), the lone MCC team in the latest NAIA ranking (one vote), answered with one run in the bottom half.
William Penn opened it up in the fifth with its final three runs, highlighted by a double by Randall Packard (Sr., Forestville, Calif., Cal State-Monterey) that scored Muller and Mueller.
Evelio Ahumada (Sr., Hacienda Heights, Calif., Citrus CC) then switched spots with Packard by hitting a two-bagger in the next at-bat. The Statesmen owned a 9-6 edge in hits, led by Muller’s 3-for-4 showing. Ahumada was also 2-for-3.
The rest was left up to a strong pitching performance by starter Danny Erece (Jr., Chula Vista, Calif., Southwestern CC) and reliever Jorge Quezada (Jr., San Ysidro, Calif., Castle Park HS).
Erece (2-2) went 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two runs (one earned) on five hits. The junior struck out six and walked three.
Quezada replaced him in the eighth and finished off Iowa Wesleyan for his first save. He struck out three, while giving up just one hit in 1 2/3 frames.
Next: William Penn travels to St. Louis, Mo. this weekend to play Harris-Stowe State in two non-conference doubleheaders. The teams meet Saturday at 1 p.m. and then again Sunday at noon.
