Big innings seal victories as Pride split doubleheader with William Penn

PEOSTA, Iowa - Finishing up a highly competitive weekend series against a conference rival, the Clarke University baseball team split their seventh-straight Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader with a 5-0 win and 10-4 loss to William Penn University on Saturday afternoon.

In Saturday first game, the Pride victory was highlighted by yet another strong pitching performance from sophomore right-hander Ethan Hefel and a five-run bottom of the sixth inning from the CU offense.

Hefel earned his third-straight victory on the mound in his third-straight complete game, earning his first shutout on Saturday with a four-hit performance while walking two and striking out four Statesmen batters.

The Statesmen's closest chance at scoring came in the second inning when Marco Ayala would single into left field trying to score Froymer Ortega from second but a strong throw from Pride left fielder Kieron Crowder to catcher Thomas Brannon would cut Ortega out at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

The game would remain scoreless into the bottom of the sixth inning as WPU starter Brian Thomas would match Hefel inning after inning until the sixth inning when Brendan O'Connor would lead off the inning by reaching on an error that would follow with a Brannon double to make it second and third with no outs.

Tommy Peterson would be the batter due up for CU as he would proceed to rope a single that would deflect off of the pitcher's foot and into the outfield past a drawn in infield to make it a 2-0 game.

Though that would prove to be enough for Hefel, the Pride would still add on more in the sixth on RBI singles from Bryn Vantiger and Brendan Hillis before Randy Lopez-Acosta would drive in the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

Clarke was looking like they would break the streak of doubleheader splits, getting out to a 3-0 lead through two innings after Brannon roped his third double of the day to score Dean Ormonde then later scoring on a Peterson ground out to make it 2-0 after an inning then Donnie Weaver would add on another in the second inning with an RBI single.

But a seven-run inning in the top of the third that saw CU use three pitchers and William Penn record four hits, draw three walks, and get hit by a pitch twice gave WPU a lead they would never relinquish at 7-3 at the time then extending it to 8-4 and eventually the 10-4 final with two in the top of the seventh.

Brannon would provide an electric overall day at the plate finishing with five hits in eight at-bats with four of the five hits being doubles and the fifth being a third inning solo home run to left center for his fourth long ball of the season.

Pride baseball will get back on the road for their first true road game in the Heart since their conference-opening series back on Mar. 10-11 when they head to Canton, Mo. for a four-game series agianst Culver-Stockton College on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 6-7 with both days slated to start at 1:00 p.m. CT.