Statesmen Claim Three Wins in Missouri

Joplin, Mo.--The William Penn baseball team battled four teams last Saturday and Sunday in Missouri, leaving with a 3-1 record in those non-conference bouts.

The Statesmen (6-1) opened with 13-3 defeat of Viterbo (Wis.) before also taking down Dakota State (S.D.) 4-1.  Unfortunately, WPU dropped its first game of the year in Sunday's opener, falling to Concordia (Neb.) 1-0.  The navy and gold rebounded with an 8-3 victory over Saint Mary (Kan.) to close out the weekend.

WPU 13, Viterbo 3

The Statesmen got out to an early lead in the first game of the weekend, putting up two runs in the first inning. They followed that with a big third frame as the navy and gold tacked on five more runs to jump out to an 7-0 lead.

WPU kept its foot on the gas going into the fourth as it put up another run. The Hawks were then able to respond in the bottom of the fourth, pushing all three of their runs across. William Penn would not be stopped, though, as it tacked on two more runs in the fifth, followed by a three-run sixth inning.

After giving up three runs, Ty Harter (So., Galesburg, Ill.) shut the V-Hawks down, pitching all seven innings and finishing with three strikeouts in the win.

Nathan Jessell (Jr., Napa, Calif., Sociology) paced the offense with three hits and three RBIs, while Franklin Aparicio (Sr., Panama City, Panama, Business Management), Abraham Arroyo (So., Camuy, P.R., Wellness and Recreation), and Justin Martinez (Jr., Bronx, N.Y., Sports Management) all finished with two RBIs.  Martinez had a home run in the victory.

WPU 4, Dakota State 1

The bats were able to manage four runs in game two, and a dominant effort from Nick George (Jr., Sarnia, Ontario, Sociology) made sure those tallies held up by only giving up one run in the ballgame.

The navy and gold carried their strong hitting over from the first game of the day, pushing a run across in each of the first three innings. DSU was able to get on the board late in the contest with one across, but George finished strong, scattering seven hits over six innings, while striking out four and issuing one free pass.

E.J. Roncone (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Sports Management) came on in relief in the seventh and collected the save for the Statesmen.

William Penn narrowly outhit the Trojans 8-7 with Arroyo and Dillan Schrock (Sr., Shingle Springs, Calif., Sociology) pacing the lineup with two hits apiece.  Aparicio scored twice as well.

Concordia (Neb.) 1, WPU 0

The navy and gold were quieted at the plate in Sunday's opener, managing only three hits in the pitching duel.

Neither team was able to get anything going until the Bulldogs scratched across a run in the bottom of the third inning. Brian Thomas (Jr., Shingle Springs, Calif., Sports Management) pitched all six innings, permitting only six hits with two strikeouts in the setback.

WPU 8, Saint Mary (Kan.) 3

In the final game of the weekend, the Statesmen trailed 2-0 after the top of the first. The deficit did not last long, however, as WPU notched runs in three consecutive innings to pull out to a 6-2 lead.

After giving up two runs in the opening frame, Stetson Denning (Sr., Queen Creek, Ariz., Sports Management) responded with three shutout innings before the Spires scored one final time in the fifth inning. William Penn added two final tallies in the fifth to stretch its lead out to 8-3.

Matt Shover (Grad., Barry, Ill., Master's of Sports Management) took the mound in the seventh to close out the contest.

George topped his crew with three base knocks, while Jessell and Tim Jean (Sr., Libertyville, Ill., Public Accounting) managed two hits each.  George and Jean each drove in two runs, while Martinez and George scored two times each.

Next Up: The Statesmen have another set of four teams waiting for them this weekend when they travel to Kansas City, Mo. They will begin their weekend on Friday with an 11 a.m. matchup against Saint Mary (Kan.) before playing Kansas Christian at 1:30 p.m.  Then on Saturday, WPU faces Tabor at 10:30 a.m. and Doane (Neb.) at 3:30 a.m. to conclude the weekend.