OSKALOOSA – Hilarie Droz (Sr.-Ottumwa, Iowa) reached on an infield single to drive in the lead run and the Iowa Wesleyan College softball team won the opener on its way to splitting a doubleheader against Midwest Collegiate Conference-leading and nationally ranked William Penn University Monday night.
The Tigers defeated the Lady Statesmen 3-1 in the first game of the evening, snapping an 11-game losing streak against Penn that dated back to the 2006 season. William Penn, ranked 23rd in the most recent NAIA coaches poll, came back strong in the second game, as pitcher Alyssa Fligg tossed a no-hitter in a 5-0 win.
IWC scored what proved to be the winning run in the opener on a dribbler on the infield with two outs in the top of the seventh. Droz rolled the ball out in front of the plate and beat it out as Danielle Boyle (Jr.-Danville, Iowa) came in to score. With time still not called, Stephanie Benge (Sr.-Mount Pleasant, Iowa) came all the way in from second to score as well.
Ashlee Winner (Sr.-Rushville, Ill.) finished the game off with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh and picked up the win for the Tigers. Winner out-dueled WPU’s Ashley Johnson and allowed four hits while striking out seven, picking up her 11th win of the year.
The second game was all about Fligg, who struck out 10 batters and allowed just one baserunner in the shutout win. Haleigh Hempen (Jr.-Hamilton, Iowa) was the lone IWC hitter to reach base, breaking up the perfect game with a walk in the fifth inning.
The Lady Statesmen also brought the bats out early, scoring twice in both the first and second innings to take an early 4-0 lead. Penn also took advantage of a pair of Wesleyan errors in the first inning, and the Tigers finished with three errors in the second game.
IWC is now 17-21 this season and at 9-9 in the MCC is sixth in the conference standings, tied in the loss column with fifth-place Clarke College (12-9 in MCC). William Penn is 32-16 overall, 20-4 in the MCC and holds a three-game lead over its nearest competition in the league standings.
The Tigers have Tuesday off before beginning a busy rest of the week that will include games on five straight days. The stretch will begin with a doubleheader Wednesday against Waldorf College at the Mapleleaf Community Athletic Complex starting at 5 p.m. The twinbill will start with the teams’ resuming Saturday’s first game of the doubleheader in the second inning, with the two teams tied 0-0.
For more information regarding the IWC softball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score IWC 3 #23 WPU 1
Box score #23 WPU 5 IWC 0
