Statesmen Split Double Dip Against Park in Home Opener

Oskaloosa--The William Penn softball team finally got to play in front of its own crowd and claimed a split of a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader against Park Friday.

WPU (19-9, 3-1 Heart) won the opener 10-6, but dropped the second bout 7-2.  The squad extended its winning streak to nine games before it was snapped in the nightcap.

The hosts, who played their first 26 games of the season away from Penn Field, jumped out to a 4-0 advantage when Tori Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) defied the odds and blasted a grand slam on a blustery day where winds in excess of 30 miles per hour (gusting up to 50 mph) were blowing in from the outfield.

Smith put the Statesmen up 4-0 after the bottom of the first, but the Pirates (17-9, 5-3 Heart) answered with four runs of their own in the top of the second.

PU then tacked on two more runs in the fourth for a 6-4 margin.  The Statesmen were far from finished, however, getting one tally back in the bottom half of the fourth as Peyton Naranjo (So., Ripon, Calif., Biology) singled home Marin Frazee (So., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science).

Rylee Riesberg (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) singled in Kya Butler (Jr., Newton, Iowa, Sports Management) in the fifth to knot the score, while Laila Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) used the wind to her advantage as her fly ball into center field was knocked down and ended up falling in front of the Pirate fielder and three go-ahead runs were plated on her two-out single.

Jessica Lathrop (Fr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) managed an RBI single for insurance in the sixth and Chelsey Huff (Sr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science) closed the door, working a complete game that featured 10 strikeouts.  The senior, who permitted six runs on six hits, also walked four Park batters.

The victors rattled off nine base knocks with Tori Smith ending up 3-for-4 at the dish.  Naranjo tallied two hits, while the trio of Laila Smith, Riesberg, and Frazee all notched one hit and one walk apiece.  Bailee Rinn (Jr., Omaha, Neb., Biology) managed to draw a pair of walks as well.

PU tallied the initial runs in the nightcap with two scores in the top of the first.  WPU matched the visitors with two runs of its own in the bottom of the second as Butler cleared the fence in center field with a two-run homer.

Unfortunately, the Statesmen defense struggled as it committed four errors.  Only three of Park's runs were earned in the second outing.

PU scored the final five runs of the afternoon, headlined by three in the fifth frame.

Outhit just 11-8, the navy and gold were paced by two base knocks from both Butler and Riesberg.  Tori Smith pitched well out of the bullpen, but her efforts were for naught as WPU could not produce enough offense to keep up with the Pirates' plate prowess.

Smith was in the circle for three frames and gave up just one run on three hits; she struck out one and did not permit a walk.

"We have to tighten up our defense; we cannot win games with four errors," Head Coach Laura North said.  "Give credit to Park, though.  We knew coming in that they could hit."

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday to host Benedictine in a Heart doubleheader at 11 a.m.