The Statesmen baseball team competed in a special doubleheader against Grand View Wednesday, but unfortunately came up on the short end both times in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.
William Penn (17-18, 7-8 MCC) lost by scores of 3-0 and 5-2. The first matchup was contested on Grand View’s campus and then the teams moved across town to play the nightcap at Principal Park, the home of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.
The navy and gold were outhit 7-4 in the opener with Cory DeRush reaching base twice with a single and a walk. The squad put runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh frames, but were unable to get anyone all the way around.
The Vikings (18-16, 16-4 MCC) broke a scoreless tie with one run in the third and then added two insurance runs in the fifth.
Starting pitcher Cole Williams took the loss to fall to 2-5, permitting the three GVU runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. Jacob Davidson relieved him in the fifth and allowed only one hit in 1 1/3 frames.
The trip to Principal Park warmed up WPU’s bats as the ‘visitors’ held an 11-6 advantage in base knocks. After Grand View scored the game’s first run in the second, the Statesmen finally got on board in the third. Kenny Hall doubled home Connor Sutton to knot the contest at 1-1.
Grand View unfortunately responded with three in the bottom of the third and kept the lead the remainder of the way. J.P. Rios scored WPU’s second and final run in the sixth, while the home team got it right back in the bottom of the sixth.
Patrick Roxbury and Robert Phiakeo both went 2-for-4 at the plate, while Sho Serrano had a hit and a walk.
Matt Vasquez opened the game by allowing one run in two innings. Tyler Martinez took the loss (now 1-2) out of the bullpen by giving up three unearned runs in the third inning. Kyle Maldonado was William Penn’s most effective hurler, going three frames with only one unearned run permitted.
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa this weekend to host AIB in a four-game MCC set. The doubleheaders on both Saturday andSunday start at 1 pm. It also serves as Senior Day Weekend.
