William Penn Takes Uneven Split with Clarke
Peosta–The Statesmen baseball team rolled to an easy win in the opener, but was quieted in the nightcap as it split a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader with Clarke Friday
WPU (13-16, 5-9 Heart) won the first game 14-2, but came up short in the nightcap 7-4.
William Penn entered the day with just eight home runs as a team, but nearly matched that total in Friday’s two contests, including hitting three in the opener.
Zach Otten (Jr., Mapleton, Ill.) got things going in a big second inning, doubling home Justin Martinez (Sr., Bronx, N.Y., Sports Management). He was then brought around on a two-run homer by Nathan Jessell (Jr., Napa, Calif., Sociology).
Hector Dominguez (So., Fontana, Calif., Exercise Science) and Martinez also tacked on run-scoring singles later in the frame as the visitors went on top 6-0 entering the bottom of the second.
CU (13-17, 8-6 Heart) responded with a pair of tallies in the third, but was shut down the remainder of the contest by another strong outing from Abel Madueno (Jr., San Bernardino, Calif., Business Management).
The final innings belonged to the Statesmen, beginning with Martinez clearing the left-field fence with a fourth-inning solo shot.
Guided by run-scoring singles from Jessell and Marco Ayala (So., San Francisco, Calif., New Media), the Statesmen put the game on ice in the sixth, but for good measure, WPU added four additional runs in the seventh. Otten followed up two sacrifice flies with a two-run roundtripper to cap the scoring.
William Penn won the hits category 13-6 with eight separate players collecting a base knock (five with two apiece).
Otten had the best numbers, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and four runs scored. The junior also drew three walks. Martinez was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs, and a walk, while Marco Ayala (one walk), Jessell, and Leland Riley II (So., Victorville, Calif., Kinesiology) all finished with a pair of hits.
Dominguez, with one hit and one walk, and Blair Speas (Jr., O’Fallon, Mo., New Media), with two walks, also reached base multiple times.
Madueno had to work around some control issues, but still quieted another offense Friday. The junior worked all seven innings, permitting just two runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking six as well.
The Statesmen unfortunately could not replicate their efforts in the nightcap, being outhit 11-5.
Nick George (Sr., Sarina, Ontario, Sociology) did, however, put the navy and gold out front with a solo home run in the first.
The Pride answered, though, scoring four times in the second and thrice more in the third, while WPU was kept off the board until the final frame.
With a last push, the Statesmen cut the deficit in half with one swing of the bat as George homered again, this time a three-run shot that also brought around Speas and Jalani Hudnal (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology).
George was the only bright spot offensively in the loss as he finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Andres Pineda So., Cartagena, Colombia, Business Management) pitched well in relief, keeping Clarke scoreless through 3 1/3 innings. He allowed only three hits, while recording one strikeout and one walk.
“We played really well in the first game and executed offensively,” Head Coach Mike Laird said. “Abel Madueno threw another dominant game against their previously undefeated pitcher. The strike zone, however, was unlike any we have seen in a while. Unfortunately, aside from the two home runs from Nick George, we did not execute as well offensively in the second game. Andres Pineda did a good job in relief.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Peosta Saturday to face Clarke in another Heart twinbill starting at 1 p.m.
