(Oskaloosa, Iowa) —The Statesmen (13-24, 6-16 Heart) hosted the Baker University Wildcats (16-28, 9-14 Heart) in a conference doubleheader Tuesday. William Penn headed into the matchup looking to keep their playoff aspirations alive.

The home team would settle for a split after a game one victory by the score of 1-0 and a game two loss that featured a late rally by the Statesmen only to fall short 5-4.

BU 0, WPU 1

Game one was a pitchers’ duel in which both teams only combined for 5 hits. D.J. Milam (SR/Lancaster, Calif.) started on the hill for the Statesmen and overcame some early command problems to turn in a masterful performance. The senior went 6.0 shutout innings while only surrendering 3 hits and striking out 5.

The combination of Trent Barnett (JR/Eddyville, Iowa) and Austin Neff (SR/Hanna City, Ill.) finished off the seventh with Neff picking up the save.

WPU picked up their lone run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Raheim Hampton came around the to score on an error by the Wildcats pitcher while fielding a sacrifice bunt by Fabio Espinosa (JR/Minneapolis, Minn.). Hampton began the inning with a double to right center field.

BU 5, WPU 4

Augie Voight (JR/Waukegan, Ill.) started game two for William Penn and gave his team a chance by going 5.1 innings and striking out 8. The junior right-hander was cruising through 5 innings only allowing 2 runs but ran into some trouble in the sixth after allowing a three-run home run.

Isaac Lueth (SR/Grinnell, Iowa) dazzled in his return from injury pitching a scoreless seventh and striking out 2.

The bats warmed up a bit for both sides in game two. William Penn edged Baker in hits 10-7 but a late rally fell short to give the visitors the one run victory.

Four Statesmen recorded a multi-hit game, highlighted by Espinosa’s 2-3 performance in which he drove in 3 runs.

WPU had a great day defensively recording no errors in the field. Julian Villegas (SR/Wilmington, Calif.) shined with a handful of spectacular plays at shortstop.

Central College Track & Field Update

Already the holder of the Central College’s track and field program’s fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase, Mark Fairley (senior, Dubuque) shaved nine seconds of the mark at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California.

Competing against a field of Division I and professional athletes, Fairley crossed the line in 8 minutes, 57.39 seconds to finish 13th overall and fifth in his heat.

Day two of the Bryan Clay Invitational will see Fairley, McKinney and Kammeyer contest a 1,500-meter run. Kyle Pape (junior, Dubuque, Wahlert Catholic HS), Preston Kizer (sophomore, Dubuque) and Jon Specht (senior, Dubuque, Hempstead HS) will all also run the 1,500 meters and the 800 meters.

Central College Women’s Tennis Update

In the final match before the Iowa Conference tournament starts next weekend, the Central College women’s tennis team knocked off Simpson College 6-3 on Thursday.

The Dutch enter the postseason with a 12-3 record and are the No. 3 seed for next weekend’s tournament. The Storm end their season at 4-11.

Central will open the first round of the Iowa Conference tournament against the University of Dubuque on Friday, April 27 in Decorah. In the two team’s match-up during the fall season, the Dutch beat the Spartans 7-2.

(OTTUMWA, Iowa) – Indian Hills Community College, effective at season’s end, will be searching for a new softball coach with yesterday’s announcement that Laura North will be stepping down at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

After serving one year as an assistant coach, North has piloted the Warrior program for four successful seasons, as her current No. 17-ranked squad heads down the home stretch towards a potential fourth straight Region XI regular season title. With a fourth straight ICCAC post-season title and third straight trip to the National Tournament in the balance over the next few weeks, North cited her struggle with the decision to walk away from the program.

“This decision has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made. I love this game, and I love Indian Hills. I am extremely proud of the Warrior softball program, and the progress that we have made during my time here. It has been such a great experience working for an institution that has allowed me to build a successful program with so many resources. I am sad to be leaving, but I’m very excited to see what another coach can do to advance the program further.”

The three-time conference coach of the year noted that family weighed heavily on her decision to step aside.

“This decision is primarily based off the needs of my family. My four sons are at a very impressionable ages, and are extremely busy with their own activities, and I am looking forward to being more present for them. I would like to thank Dr. Marlene Sprouse, and especially Dr. Brett Monaghan for being so supportive through this tough decision, and for the continued support over the past four years. Indian Hills and the athletic department are in great hands and I’m excited for the future of the program.”

North’s IHCC teams have compiled a 143-56 overall record (.718) during her tenure as head coach, including a 51-12 (.810) mark in all games against conference foes. Prior to arriving at Indian Hills, North spent one season as the head coach at Cloud County (KS) where her squad put up a 26-25 record. She has also coached at Holdrege, Nebraska, as well as Logan-Magnolia and Des Moines Lincoln.

“Laura’s impact on young women’s lives, on and off the field, will undoubtedly be missed here,” said IHCC Athletic Director Monaghan in thanking North for her commitment to the college for the last five years. “Her record and list of accomplishments speak for themselves, but it won’t be easy to replace her leadership she has brought to our campus the past several seasons. She’s brought so many terrific young people to our athletic department, and I think everyone recognizes that Laura does things the right way, which ultimately produces outstanding young ladies as they leave our program.”

Monaghan said an immediate search will begin to find North’s replacement at the helm of the Warrior program. The IHCC Athletic Director said he’ll be looking for a coach who, “will carry on the same values our department expects from all of our programs, and continue the success that has taken place on and off the field for the last four seasons.”

(OSKALOOSA, Iowa) – Megan Rhoads (Jr., Schertz, Texas, Psychology) shot low in her first full tournament of the spring and her efforts netted Heart of America Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week honors Monday.

Rhoads, who is now a three-time winner this year (four in her career), guided the Statesmen to a third-place effort at the Oklahoma City Classic.

The junior placed 11th out of 72 individuals with a 54-hole school record of 229 (76-79-74). Her final round 74 was a career low. She helped William Penn to a new team 54-hole record as well in addition to placing just a few shots behind #7 Texas Wesleyan and #13 Oklahoma City.

Rhoads currently owns a 78.9 stroke average over 14 rounds. She has 10 rounds in the 70s and has placed in the top 20 (one win) in all eight tournaments she has entered.