Early Runs, Strong Pitching Leads to Split with No. 25 GVU

Oskaloosa--The Statesmen softball team inched closer to a postseason berth as it split a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader with No. 25 Grand View Saturday.

WPU (26-18, 10-10 Heart) took the day's first game 3-2, but dropped the second outing 7-3.  Entering the final week of the season, the navy and gold sit in a tie for seventh with MidAmerica Nazarene, two games ahead of Clarke for the final spot in the eight-team Heart Championship.

The hosts struck early in the opener as Chelsey Huff (Sr., Douds, Iowa, Exercise Science) singled home Marin Frazee (So., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) in the bottom of the first.

William Penn tacked on two more runs in the second, beginning with pinchrunner Maci Rutledge (Fr., Chadron, Neb., Nursing) coming around on an error by GVU (29-13, 16-4 Heart), while Frazee's single plated Rylee Riesberg (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science).

The Vikings eventually found their way onto the scoreboard with two tallies in the third, but the duo of starting pitcher Madie Anderson (Sr., Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Elementary Education) and reliever Huff kept the one-run edge intact.

Anderson permitted two unearned runs on two hits through 4 1/3 innings (one strikeout), while Huff was untouchable in 2 2/3 frames.  Huff struck out three (one walk) to collect the save).

Frazee and Laila Pelds (Sr., Pleasant Hill, Iowa, Elementary Education) each two base knocks, while WPU finished with a 7-2 advantage in hits.

Ella Pierce (Sr., McClelland, Iowa, Business Management) put the navy and gold ahead in the bottom of the first of the nightcap as her single plated Laila Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) and Tori Smith (So., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education).

Kya Butler (Jr., Newton, Iowa, Sports Management) then made it 3-0 in favor of her team in the second, but the visitors stormed back and scored the game's final seven runs, including five in the fifth.

WPU lost the hits battle 11-7 with Pelds managing two, while Laila Smith added one base knocks in addition two walks.

"We are playing really good softball right now," Head Coach Laura North said.  "A split was big for us in the standings.  Splits with Grand View, Park, Baker, and Benedictine show we can compete with anybody and now peaking late in the season is really where we want to be.  We have a lot of confidence right now and need to keep the urgency up next weekend."

"I am very proud of our student-athletes grinding through some adversity a couple weeks ago and refusing to quit," North added.  "They doubled down and put in the work, and it is paying off."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Cedar Rapids next Friday to face Mount Mercy in a Heart doubleheader at 4 p.m.