William Penn Sweeps Graceland in Heart Conference Opening Series

OSKALOOSA, Iowa — The Graceland University baseball team opened Heart of America Athletic Conference play Friday with a doubleheader at William Penn, falling 10-6 in Game 1 and 13-7 in Game 2 at Statesmen Ballpark. The losses moved the Yellowjackets to 6-15 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while the Statesmen improved to 11-8 overall and 2-0 in the Heart.

Graceland jumped out quickly in the opener with an aggressive offensive approach. Kellen Scruggs delivered a two-run home run to right field in the first inning, scoring Beno Olmeda and giving the Yellowjackets an early 2-0 advantage. Later in the frame, Gabriel Perez crossed the plate on a throwing error, pushing the lead to 3-0 before William Penn answered.

The Statesmen responded with a decisive second inning, producing six runs on four hits. The rally was highlighted by a grand slam from Aiden North, which gave William Penn a 6-3 lead and shifted momentum in the game.

Graceland battled back in the third inning with situational offense. Juan Guzman scored on a passed ball, and Jayden Gilbert followed with an RBI single to left center, trimming the deficit to 6-5. The Yellowjackets continued to generate opportunities at the plate, finishing the game with nine hits and six walks.

William Penn added insurance throughout the middle innings. Sawyer Hardman homered to right field in the third, while a sacrifice fly from Keoni Young in the fourth extended the lead. The Statesmen added two more runs in the sixth inning on Leland Riley II's two-RBI single, securing the 10-6 victory.

Beno Olmeda finished 2-for-4 with a home run, while Kellen Scruggs added two hits and two RBIs. Josh Tomas also recorded two hits for the Yellowjackets as the offense produced nine hits in the contest.

In the second game, William Penn used an early offensive surge to build separation. The Statesmen scored five runs in the first inning and five more in the second, capitalizing on defensive miscues and free baserunners to build a 10-2 advantage.

Graceland responded in the sixth inning with a five-run rally fueled by timely hitting and aggressive baserunning. Gabriel Perez launched a solo home run, while Hagen Wilmes delivered a two-RBI single up the middle during the inning. The Yellowjackets pushed across five runs on three hits in the frame to close the gap to 10-7.

William Penn answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs to regain control and secure the 13-7 win, completing the doubleheader sweep.

Following the games, Graceland head coach Brad Payne said the Yellowjackets executed their offensive approach but were hurt by mistakes on the mound and in the field.

"I thought we executed our offensive game plan well and created opportunities throughout the day," Payne said. "We were able to string together quality at-bats and generate traffic on the bases, which is exactly what we want offensively. But miscues on the mound and in the field were costly. We gave up too many free passes and allowed innings to extend. At this level you have to limit walks, hit-by-pitches and defensive mistakes. We've got to tighten up the free passes and be more disciplined defensively moving forward."

Graceland will continue the conference series Saturday with another doubleheader against William Penn, scheduled for 1 p.m. CDT and 3:30 p.m. CDT at Statesmen Ballpark in Oskaloosa, Iowa, as the Yellowjackets look to rebound in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.

For more information on Graceland baseball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.