Statesmen Sweep Yellowjackets to Start Conference Play 2-0

Oskaloosa -- The Statesmen baseball team opened conference play with a pair of victories over Graceland in doubleheader Friday.

WPU (11-8, 2-0) won the opener 10-6 before finishing the night with a 13-7 victory

WPU 10 - GU 6

Down 3-0 early, the home squad put up six runs on the Yellowjackets (6-16, 0-2) in the second inning. The Statesmen worked two runs across before, Aiden North (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) stepped up with loaded bases and delivered a grand slam to put William Penn up 6-3.

After a two-run third inning by the Yellowjackets, Sawyer Hardman (Jr., American Fork, Utah, Kinesiology) delivered a single-run shot to right field in the bottom of the third.

Keoni Young (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) then hit a sacrifice-fly to score Andres Pineda (Sr., Cartagena, Colombia, Business Management).

Graceland grabbed another run in the sixth inning to make it 8-6.

Young and Abraham Arroyo (Grad., Camuy, P.R., Master's of Sports Management) made it home with a two-RBI single from Leland Riley II (Sr., Victorville, Calif., Kinesiology) to put William Penn up 10-6.   

Jack Nesje (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D., Biology) snuffed out any hope for the Yellowjackets when he held them scoreless to finish the contest.

Pineda went 3-for-3 from the plate and scored twice in the opener while McGwire Jephson (Jr., Rigby, Idaho, Business Management) went 2-for-3 with a run, as well.

North had four RBIs while Riley II garnered two while Arroyo made it home twice.

Shane Mailloux (So., Santee, Calif., Business Management) earned two walks.

Erik Mejia Jr. (So., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) started the game and earned the win with five innings of work before Nesje came in for relief.

WPU 13 - GU 7

Ethan Peters (Jr., Hortonville, Wis., Sports Management) started on the mound for the Statesmen and made quick work of Graceland before the first of back-to-back five run innings for William Penn.

The scoring started when Young sent an RBI double to left field and Jephson made it home.

Hardman followed with a single that the Yellowjackets could not handle as Young and Mailloux each scored.

Hardman stole home on a double steal and then Ened Perez (Jr., Orocovis, P.R., Kinesiology) hit an RBI single to get Arroyo home.

Graceland scored two runs in the top of the second before Mailloux hit an RBI single and Logan Bialek (Jr., South Elgin, Ill., Exercise Science) trotted across home plate.

The rest of the inning's scoring was highlighted when Hardman and Young each scored on Arroyo's two-RBI single. The Statesmen went on to make it 10-2 by the end of the inning.

Scoring slowed until the Yellowjackets put up five runs in the top of the sixth frame.

The Statesmen followed by scoring three runs, started by Arroyo making hit home on a wild pitch.

Jackson Conjardi (Sr., Schaumberg, Ill., Education) followed him in when Jephson singled to right field.

North then sent a sacrifice-fly to right field when Kazin Miller (Fr., Ottumwa, Iowa, Sociology with an Emphasis in Criminology) scored the final run of the day.

Jephson, North, and Young each had two hits in the nightcap, while Hardman, Arroyo, and Perez each had a couple RBIs.

Arroyo earned three runs and two walks, while Mailloux, Young, and Hardman had two more runs.

Peters earned the win in 5 2/3 innings pitching and six strikeouts. Ethan Soldner (So., Columbus, Wis., Sports Management) closed out the game with two hits and no runs allowed in 1 1/3 innings of work.

"It's great to get the conference started off with 2 wins." Head Coach Mike Laird said, "Pineda had a big day, while North had a big day as well. Jephson had 4 big hits and Sawyer Hardman drove his 4th homer of the season. Keoni Young played great some great D initiating 3 double plays. That said, our defense needs to make all the routine plays."

Next Up: William Penn opens remains home to again face Graceland in another Heart doubleheader at 1 p.m.