Oskaloosa--The Statesmen baseball team will unfortunately not have much momentum built for the Midwest Classic Conference Tournament next week after being swept by Iowa Wesleyan in a league doubleheader, 6-5 and 8-4.

  Penn (25-22, 9-17 MCC) matched the Tigers run for run in the first six innings of the opener, but had no answer for their final run in the top of the seventh.

  Travon Jackson (Jr., Apple Valley, Calif., Modesto JC) paced the offense with a 3-4 performance and one run scored. Petie Montero (Sr., San Fernando, Calif., Los Angeles Harbor JC) also found success at the plate, going 2-3 with two runs and two RBIs.

  The big hit of the first game for Penn came via Montero in the three-run sixth frame. The senior tripled to score both William Greatbatch (Jr., Knoxville, Kirkwood CC) and Zack Miller (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Victor Valley CC). He then scored in the next at-bat.

  Esau Aceves (Jr., Culver City, Calif., Compton CC) started the contest and last 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits. He also had five strikeouts with two walks, but did not figure into the decision.

  Jeremy Gulich (Sr., Erin, N.Y., Pittsburgh-Bradford) took the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season. The senior relieved Aceves in the sixth and tossed 1 1/3 innings, but unfortunately allowed the winning run in the seventh frame.

  After tying Iowa Wesleyan at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning of the nightcap, the Statesmen gave up six unanswered runs and could not rally enough for the victory.

  Jackson and Gerald Morris (Sr., San Bernardino, Calif., San Bernardino Valley JC) each had two hits, while Morris posted two RBIs as well.

  Penn used four pitchers in the loss, headlined by starter Zach Bell (Sr., Half Moon Bay, Calif., Canada JC), who hurled 4 2/3 innings in the setback to fall to 2-4 in 2007.

  Next: Penn travels to Waterloo to compete in the MCC Tournament, Wednesday and Thursday. The top two teams in the final regular-season conference standings earn an exemption from the six-team, single-elimination conference tournament and automatically receive a spot in the Region VII Tournament, May 9-12 in La Crosse, Wis. The winner of the league tourney garners the final conference spot at regionals.