Mustangs Split Series Opener with William Penn

OSKALOOSA, Iowa - The Mustang baseball team split the series opening doublehader with William Penn, dropping the first game by a score of 4-1 before winning the nightcap, 15-9.

Game One

The Mustang offense was only able to muster four hits, each coming from the top four batters in the lineup. Bryce Brown accounted for the lone Mustang run, blasting a solo shot in the fourth inning.

The lead wouldn't last long as WPU's Keoni Young hit a solo shot to left center in the bottom half of the inning, squaring the game up at one. The Statesmen added three in the bottom half of the sixth, capped off by a pair of RBI singles, coming off the bats of pinch hitter Juan Perez and catcher Aiden North, as the Statesmen held on for a series opening win.

Abel Madueno earned the win, throwing a complete game while allowing four hits and just one run, while striking out six batters. Owen Brauch was tabbed with the loss, throwing less than an inning and allowing two hits and three runs.

Game Two

Five Mustangs carded multi-hit games, led by Jaden Hackbarth who went 3-5 from the plate while driving in two. The Mustang offense started in the third inning as Jeremy Figueroa drove in a run on a fielder's choice, scoring Drew Terpins. Brown would follow that up with an RBI double, driving in Hackbarth. Also in the third, Josh Notriano drove in the first of his five runs on the game on a sac fly to center, scoring Figueroa.

The Statesmen answered with three of their own in the bottom the third, as a hit by pitch and sac fly got them to within one. Young would then single through the left side, driving in Bradley Soto to tie the game. 

In the fourth, the Mustangs would explode for six runs, as Derek Einertson singled through the right side to drive in Michael Rivero. Hackbarth would then drive in a run on a single to center, while Brown singled and drove in Cedric Dunnwald. It was then on the bat of Josh Notriano where a great deal of damage was done in the inning, blasting a three run shot to extend the Mustang lead to six.

The Statesmen would then plate five runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth, closing the gap to only trail by one. But in the sixth, Notriano added his fifth RBI of the game on a single to left center. Terpins added a pair of RBIs of his own in the sixth, scoring Yahirdavi Ortiz and Notriano, extending the Mustang lead to four. Following a WPU run in the sixth, it was the Mustangs who capitalized in the seventh, as Hackbarth homered while Garrett Dennis drove in one on a sac fly.

Tyler Nagelbach earned the win, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing eight hits while striking out three. Dreyton LaVeine was tabbed with the loss, throwing six innings and allowing 10 earned runs.

The Mustangs and Statesmen will close out the series with a doubleheader on Sunday in Oskaloosa, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.