Back-to-Back Big Innings Lead Statesmen to Split Against MVC

Marshall, Mo.--The William Penn baseball team used a pair of high-scoring frames to earn a split of a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader versus Missouri Valley Friday.

WPU (11-11, 4-6 Heart) won the opener 13-4, but dropped the nightcap 8-7 in eight innings.

The Statesmen fell behind 1-0 after the first inning as the Vikings (9-13, 5-5 Heart) broke through, but the visitors got on the board in impressive fashion with five runs in the top of the third.

Aiden North (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) pushed across the initial navy and gold run with a single that plated Carlos Herrera (Jr., Bronx, N.Y., Kinesiology).  Bradley Soto (Jr., Davenport, Fla., Business Management) then cleared the fence with a two-run homer that also brought in North.

Later in the inning, Hector Dominguez (Jr., Fontana, Calif., Exercise Science) matched Soto with his own two-run roundtripper that scored Abraham Arroyo (Grad., Camuy, P.R., Master's of Sports Management).

Missouri Valley cut the margin in half with two runs in the bottom half of the third, but the Statesmen put the game out of reach early with six fourth-inning tallies.

North and Dominguez both recorded run-scoring singles, while Soto again left the park with a two-run shot.

Arroyo got into the RBI action with a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and Dominguez capped a solid performance with his third RBI single.

The Statesmen outhit the Vikings 12-7 with Soto and Dominguez both finishing with three base knocks, while North and Herrera each notched two.  Soto and Dominguez drove in four runs (North had three), while North and Herrera each touched home plate on three occasions (Soto and Arroyo scored twice).

Arroyo and Leland Riley II (So., Victorville, Calif., Kinesiology) drew a pair of walks as well.

Abel Madueno (Sr., San Bernardino, Calif., Business Management) earned the victory by permitting just four runs in a complete-game effort.  He struck out five Vikings and walked four.

Friday's second contest had a similar feeling early on with MVC putting two runs on the board in the first, while WPU answered with four unanswered, including three in the third.

All of the third-inning runs were produced by Arroyo as he brought in Soto and North on a home run, while Herrera's sacrifice fly plated Zach Otten (Sr., Mapleton, Ill., Business Management) in the fourth.

Following two Missouri Valley runs in its next at-bats, the Statesmen recaptured the edge in the fifth as Soto came the final 90 feet on a wild pitch.  The Vikings got that run right back in the bottom half, however, and after two scoreless innings, the sides headed to extra play tied at 5-5.

The theme of the afternoon was the long ball and William Penn utilized that form once more in the top of the eighth as Herrera drove in Keoni Young (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) on a two-run blast.

Unfortunately, the home squad rallied one final time and won with three runs in the bottom half.

Overall, WPU lost the hits battle 11-9 with North and Arroyo both posting two.  Arroyo and Herrera finished with three RBIs, while Soto scored twice and walked twice.  Young also drew two bases on balls, but Ened Perez (So., Orocovis, P.R., Kinesiology) was the most patient Statesmen as he collected three walks.

Dreyton LaVeine (Sr., West Burlington, Iowa, Sociology) had a respectable outing by allowing five runs on eight hits in 6 2/3 frames.  The senior managed five strikeouts (no walks) in the non-decision start.

Next Up: William Penn remains in Marshall, Mo. Saturday to again face Missouri Valley in another Heart doubleheader at 1 p.m.