WPU Posts Big Upset Sweep of Evangel
William Penn posted upset wins over Evangel on Friday.
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen softball team played its best ball in weeks as it knocked off Evangel twice in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday.
William Penn (16-15, 4-8 Heart) won by scores of 4-1 and 3-2. The victories snapped the nine-game winning streak by the Crusaders (18-10, 12-4 Heart), who entered at #32 in the NAIA.
The hosts had lost three in a row going into Friday’s twinbill and had an ominous start as EU, the leaders of the Heart’s South Division, plated a run in the top of the first.
Fortunately, the navy and gold answered right back with three runs in the bottom half. Jenny Navarro (Jr., Bellflower, Calif.) singled in Kodee Johnson (Sr., Stockton, Calif., General Mathematics) and Emily Brown (Jr., Waverly, Iowa, Biology) pounded a double to the left-center fence to bring in Navarro and Chyanne Koko (Jr., Waianae, Hawaii, Physical Education).
Dalaney Bice (Fr., Woodward, Iowa, Human Services and Psychology) retained the edge by working out of a few mini jams, including leaving five Evangel players in scoring position. She received some additional help in the fifth as WPU tallied an insurance run on a Navarro single that brought in Michelle Castro (Fr., Acampo, Calif., Business Management).
Navarro, Brown, and Kacey Lutz (Jr., Lodi, Calif., Business Management) all finished 2-for-3; Navarro and Brown also drove in two runs each. The Statesmen won the hitting battle 11-7.
Bice scattered those seven base knocks en route to a complete-game victory. The freshman struck out two batters against two walks.
As great as Bice was in the opener, Koko produced even better numbers in the nightcap as she cruised through six innings before running into trouble in the seventh.
The Statesmen broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, scoring all three of their runs in that frame. Navarro put her team on the board by scoring on a Brown double, while Vernon was next with another two-bagger to plate Brown. Molly LaMotte (Sr., Enumclaw, Wash., Exercise Science) capped the frame with a single to score pinchrunner Katie Meek (So., Bonaparte, Iowa, Physical Education).
Koko was perfect in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, highlighting her performance with 12 straight outs at one point. She only permitted three baserunners through the first six frames (one in scoring position), but gave up back-to-back singles in the final inning to conclude her time in the circle.
Katie Springer (So., Riverside, Iowa, Undecided) had a rough start to her relief appearance as she allowed a run-scoring double, but then she settled in to get the save. With the tying run at third base, fittingly she induced a flyout to Koko in center field to end the contest.
Johnson was a perfect 3-for-3, while Navarro and Brown were both 2-for-3 in the victory. The victors outhit EU 11-5.
Koko recorded one strikeout with one walk in her six-inning effort.
“The ladies came out and played well,” Head Coach Mike Christner said. “We finally put everything together and took care of the little details. We played with a lot more confidence, kept battling, and competed for all 14 innings.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday to face Missouri Valley in another Heart doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
