WPU Takes Three of Four from Waldorf in Oklahoma

Ponca City, Okla.--The Statesmen baseball team was not only able to do a quick revision of its schedule to find a place to play, but also came away with a trio of victories as it faced Waldorf in a non-conference four-game series Sunday and Monday.

William Penn (4-4) opened the set with a 20-5 defeat of the Warriors Sunday.  Unfortunately, WU answered with a 6-3 win in the nightcap.

The navy and gold then took care of Waldorf twice on Monday, winning 8-1 and 11-8.

WPU 20, Waldorf 5

The Statesmen, who recorded their highest run tally since April 8, 2023 (32 vs. Graceland), managed 15 hits (three home runs), while taking advantage of six WU errors.

A combined four runs were posted through the initial four frames with WPU getting on the board right away with two in the top of the first inning.  Abraham Arroyo (Grad., Camuy, P.R., Master's of Sports Management) doubled home Aiden North (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology), while also scoring himself on a sacrifice fly by Carlos Herrera (Jr., Bronx, N.Y., Kinesiology).

Tied at 2-2, the Statesmen blew the game open with six in the fifth with three base knocks and three Warrior fielding mistakes.  Hector Dominguez (Jr., Fontana, Calif., Exercise Science), Ened Perez (So., Orocovis, P.R., Kinesiology), and Leland Riley II (So., Victorville, Calif., Kinesiology) also recorded RBIs in the inning.

William Penn then loaded the bases in the sixth and Ened Perez unloaded them with a grand slam.  Arroyo cleared the fence with a solo shot as well.

Three more runs came across in the seventh before Juan Perez (Jr., Harlem, N.Y., Sports Management) powered an exclamation-point three-run home run to cap WPU's scoring.

Eight separate Statesmen produced a base knock in the victory with North and Arroyo each tallying three.  Ened Perez, with a team-best five RBIs, matched Dominguez and Bradley Soto (Jr., Davenport, Fla., Business Management) with two hits apiece.  Arroyo, Soto, and Ened Perez all found their way to home plate on three occasions in the series opener.

His efforts were not necessary, but Abel Madueno (Sr., San Bernardino, Calif., Business Management) was still strong in five innings on the mound.  The senior permitted just two runs on six hits, while striking out eight (two walks).  Aaron Olivares (Jr., Victorville, Calif., Business Management) also tallied three strikeouts in two frames of relief.

Waldorf 6, WPU 3

The Statesmen unfortunately used up most of their offense in the first contest, being limited to only three runs on two hits (six hits for Waldorf).

Following two scoreless inning, the Warriors finally got on the board in a big way with five runs in the third.  WPU chipped away at the deficit with two runs in the fifth, highlighted by Ened Perez hitting a solo homer.

The sides then exchanged one run each in the waning innings with Herrera coming in via a seventh-inning balk.  Herrera guided the navy and gold as he tallied one hit (double) and one walk.

Dreyton LaVeine (Sr., West Burlington, Iowa, Sociology) could not overcome one bad inning in the loss.  He went the distance, giving up six runs on six hits, while finishing with three strikeouts against two walks.

WPU 8, Waldorf 1

The bats came back to life Monday, beginning with an 11-hit outing in the opener.  The Statesmen did almost all their damage in the first, scoring seven runs on six base knocks and a WU error.

Soto's light shone brightest in the first with a three-run homer, while Herrera plated two as well via a double.

With the matchup firmly in hand, Keoni Young (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) drove in the final run with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.

Ened Perez was 3-for-4 at the dish, while Soto, Herrera, and Jagger Mitchell (Jr., Rock Springs, Wyo., Business Management) all contributed two hits.  Arroyo was good for a hit and two bases on balls as well.

Joseph Taylor (So., Hemet, Calif., Kinesiology) collected the win by battling for six frames.  He gave up just one run on six hits, while managing eight strikeouts versus four walks.  Ryne Chamberlin (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sports Management) relieved him and worked a scoreless seventh inning.

WPU 11, Waldorf 8

WPU and WU combined for 23 hits and four multiple-run frames in the series finale.

The Warriors grabbed the early advantage with five runs in the second, but the navy and gold responded with 10 unanswered tallies.

The run began in the third when Arroyo's two-run blast headlined a five-run onslaught.  Dominguez also scored two with his double.

It was all long ball for the next two frames as Soto hit a three-run shot in the fourth and North managed the solo variety in the fifth.

Waldorf narrowed the margin to three in the sixth, but an RBI double by Zach Otten (Sr., Mapleton, Ill.) in the bottom half put the game on ice.

Dominguez topped William Penn with three hits, while the trio of North (also walked once), Arroyo, and Otten had two base knocks each.

The Statesmen employed three hurlers in the win, beginning with Andres Pineda (Jr., Colombia, Secondary Education) striking out seven in a five-inning triumph.  WPU ran into trouble in the final inning, but Jack Nesje (So., Sioux Falls, S.D., Biology), with the tying run at the plate, closed the door with a flyout to left field for the one-out save.

"Overall, we had a pretty decent series in Oklahoma," Head Coach Mike Laird said.  "Several guys improved at the plate, which was great to see.  Our defense was very solid, committing only one error over the two days.  Obviously we need to continue improving, but with that said, we have a solid core of guys that work hard and will get better at understanding some of the situational nuances."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Kansas City, Kan. Friday for a pair of non-conference games.  The Statesmen will meet Dickinson State (N.D.) at 10 a.m. and Concordia (Neb.) at 12:30 p.m.