Penn (31-10, 9-5 MCC) defeated the Warriors 16-4 (5 innings) in the opener, but then fell 5-4 in the nightcap.

Courtesy of 17 hits, including two home runs, the Lady Statesmen ran away from Waldorf in the day's first game.

Tyanna Helton (Sr., Santa Rosa, Calif., Palomar CC) hit Wednesday's first home run in the opening frame, bringing home Molly Miller (Fr., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) in the process. The roundtripper is the senior's team-leading eighth of the year.

Penn added six more in the second, highlighted by a two-run single by Andrea Rensberger (Jr., Sioux City, Sioux City North HS).

Three more crossed the plate in the fourth, but the game was settled in the fifth when Leah Mork (Sr., DeWitt, North Iowa Area CC) left the park with a grand slam, her fourth of the season.

Khyia Lewis (So., Ottumwa, Ottumwa HS) was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 (all singles) with two runs scored, while Helton was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Rensberger was also 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

Mork finished 2-for-4 with a game-high five RBIs and two runs scored. Miller, who was 2-for-5, Krystina Lorah (Jr., Moreno Valley, Calif., Moreno Valley HS), who was 1-for-2 with three runs scored, and Hailey Dreyer (Sr., Twin Lakes, Wis., Dubuque), who scored twice, provided big contributions as well.

Monica Villarreal (Fr., Oceanside, Calif, Carlsbad HS) did not deliver her best performance, but her offense made up for an off night. The freshman allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits in moving to 15-4. She struck out two with one walk.

Both teams tallied nine hits each, but none were unfortunately bigger than the pair of two-run home runs by Waldorf (11-14, 10-5 MCC) in the sixth inning.

The home team led 1-0 after three innings, but Penn answered right back with its first run in the fourth on Lorah's single to plate Miller.

After Helton led off the sixth with a double, Lorah notched another big baseknock, clearing the fence to give her squad a 3-1 lead. The home run is her fourth of 2010.

The twinbill sweep seemed a certainty, but the Warriors had other ideas with its pair of two-run shots to retake the advantage at 5-3.

The Lady Statesmen did not leave without a fight, however, as Lewis singled in Miller, but the game ended one batter later with runners stranded on the corners.

Lorah led the charge by going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Mork was 2-for-3, while Lewis finished 2-for-4.

Hannah Lugar (So., Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) claimed the loss to fall to 14-5 in her sophomore campaign. She allowed five runs (all earned) on nine hits, while striking out two and walking three.

Next: Penn returns to Oskaloosa to host Bellevue (Neb.) Saturday in a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.