The Prairie Fire couldn't catch many breaks on offense against William Penn University in a 9-0 loss April 12 at Blodgett Field.
Statesmen starting pitcher Steve Enriquez outdueled Knox first-year hurler Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, Illinois) - who took the loss despite pitching well.
William Penn (19-17) plated a run in the first inning on an RBI single by clean-up hitter Jerry Hernandez with two outs against Marquardt for a 1-0 lead.
Marquardt held the Statesmen to one hit over the next two innings before he allowed a pair of runs on two hits in the fourth. The first run scored with one out in the inning on designated hitter Chris Witrado's RBI double. William Penn extended its advantage to 3-0 when Witrado - who advanced to third on a SAC fly to right field - scored on an error.
Enriquez retired the first 17 Prairie Fire hitters he faced. First-year outfielder Dustin Armstrong (Worthington, Ohio) broke through for Knox with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning. First-year player Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) followed with a hard-hit ball to deep right field that was caught for the third out.
Marquardt (2-2) set down the next three batters he faced in order in the fifth, his last inning of work. He gave up two earned runs and five hits.
First-year pitcher Bryan Leslie (Richmond, Illinois) threw a scoreless sixth inning that included a nice pick-off move to first base. Leslie retired the first batter on a ground out before hitting Jackman with a pitch. He caught Jackman leaning with a snap throw to senior Jordan Ball (Cuba, Illinois) at first, who applied the tag in time for the second out. A ground-out to Leslie ended the inning.
William Penn added four runs, including two on a triple with one out, in the seventh inning for a 7-0 advantage. The Statesmen scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning to account for the final margin.
The Prairie Fire had one other hit against Enriquez when sophomore Michael Schroeder (Glenview, Illinois) singled in the bottom of the eighth. Enriquez (5-1) earned the shutout victory, his second of the season. He struck out seven and walked none in his fourth complete game in five starts for the Statesmen.
Knox (5-15, 0-4 MWC South) tries to halt a four-game losing streak April 17 against rival Monmouth College (13-7, 3-1 MWC South). The doubleheader, originally scheduled for April 16 in Monmouth, was moved to the next day because of wet weather conditions. The first game starts at 12:00 p.m.
