WPU Wins Twice on Opening Day
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Fort Worth, Texas–The Statesmen softball team started its 2018 season with a pair of victories as it competed at the Cowtown Classic last Friday.
William Penn (2-1) began the day with a 7-6 win over Bethany (Kan.) before falling 17-2 in five innings to Bellevue. The navy and gold concluded Friday with a 5-0 triumph over Bacone.
Cold weather unfortunately forced the cancellation of Saturday’s games.
WPU 7, Bethany 6
The Swedes took the early lead with two runs in the top of the second, but the Statesmen answered back with four in the bottom half. Roxanna Jensen (Sr., Coto de Caza, Calif., Psychology) drove a two-run shot over the fence in her first at-bat in the navy and gold. Dalaney Bice (So., Woodward, Iowa, Human Services & Psychology) also brought in two runs on a double.
Bethany took the lead back with a three-run top of the third and extended the advantage to 6-3 with another tally in the sixth.
With their backs against the wall entering the seventh, the Statesmen went to their bench for a lift. It was the right move as pinch-hitters Lexi Resa (Fr., Liberty, Mo., Biology) (double) and Rachael Trapp (Sr., Broken Arrow, Okla., Biology) (walk) both reached base. Jensen loaded the pads with a single before Resa pulled WPU within one by scoring on a Swede error.
Sonia Reddy (So., Tracy, Calif., Exercise Science) then singled up the middle and Resa and pinchrunner Savannah Fleming (Jr., Gooding, Idaho, Exercise Science) both came around to give William Penn the victory in walk-off fashion.
WPU was outhit 12-11 with Bice leading the charge with a 3-for-4 showing. Jensen was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Reddy and Tabitha Scott (Jr., Placentia, Calif., Psychology) also managed two base knocks.
Shelby Copley (Jr., Denver, Colo., Secondary Education) struck out four in 5 1/3 innings, while Karlee-Rose Perry (Jr., Puyallup, Wash., General Biology) claimed the win by tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings (one strikeout).
Bellevue 17, WPU 2
Unfortunately, the team did not fare as well in its second contest of the day. The Bruins did almost all of their damage in the first two innings, while the Statesmen scored both of their runs in the third frame on a two-run double by Lindsay Lambert (Jr., Elk Grove, Calif., Elementary Education) to plate Reddy and Kacey Lutz (Sr., Lodi, Calif., Physical Education).
William Penn’s 1-2-3 batters of Lutz (3-for-3), Reddy (2-for-3), and Bice (2-for-3) accounted for seven of their squad’s nine hits, while BU finished with 13 hits.
Perry struck out five in four innings of action.
WPU 5, Bacone 0
Guided by a two-hit shutout by Katie Springer (Jr., Riverside, Iowa, Undecided), the navy and gold closed out the day with their best outing.
William Penn opened the game’s scoring with two runs in the third as Bice doubled in Reddy and Scott.
The Statesmen then took advantage of several errors by BC in a three-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Overall, the victors managed six hits.
Springer posted seven strikeouts (no walks) in the shutout.
Next Up: William Penn takes a week off before traveling to Batesville, Ark. on Friday, February 23 to face Lyon in a non-conference doubleheader.
