Statesmen Shine in Day Two: Upset No. 17 Northwestern, Tori Smith Throws No-Hitter

Sioux Center, Iowa-- William Penn captured a pair of marquee victories on day two of the Dordt Dome Tournament, defeating No. 17 Northwestern in the opener before Tori Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Secondary Education) fired a no-hitter against Dakota Wesleyan in game two.

William Penn outscored its opponents 16-8 on Saturday, securing two impressive victories.

WPU 14, No. 17 Northwestern 8

Marin Frazee (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) set the tone offensively in the top of the first, ripping a double to right field that scored Laila Gutierrez (Jr., Seminole, Texas, Business Management) and gave WPU a 1-0 lead.

Laila Smith (Jr., Olympia, Wash., Elementary Education) added two more in the top of the first inning, as she hit a two run homer, bringing in Frazee as William Penn went ahead 3-0. 

The navy and gold were not finished in the first inning, as Rylee Riesberg (Jr., Ankeny, Iowa, Exercise Science) laced an RBI double into right-center field to score Eva Viox (So., Columbia, Mo., Exercise Science), extending the Statesmen's lead to 4-0.

Northwestern answered with four runs in the first inning and added another in the second to surge ahead, 5-4.

The Statesmen reclaimed the lead in the top of the third, as Rylee Riesberg doubled to left field to score Leah Conlon (Fr., Sioux City, Iowa, Exercise Science) and L. Smith, putting WPU back in front, 6-5.

William Penn extended its lead through the fourth and fifth innings. Leah Conlon started the scoring in the fourth with an RBI that brought Laila Gutierrez home, followed by Eva Viox's RBI double that plated Laila Smith and Marin Frazee, giving WPU a 9-5 advantage heading into the fifth.

In the top of the fifth, Marin Frazee delivered an RBI single to score Laila Gutierrez and Breleigh Mengel (Fr., Jefferson, Wis., Nursing), and Leah Conlon followed with an RBI single down the right-field line, bringing in Marin Frazee and increasing the Statesmen's lead to 11-5.

WPU added its 12th run in the top of the fifth, as Tori Smith singled to bring her sister Laila Smith home.

Northwestern responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the lead to 12-7.

William Penn matched the Red Raiders in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs. Laila Gutierrez doubled to center, bringing Breleigh Mengel home, and Marin Frazee followed with an RBI single to score Gutierrez, pushing the Statesmen's lead to 14-7.

Northwestern added a run in the bottom of the sixth, but it wasn't enough, as WPU secured a 14-8 victory over the No. 17 team in the country.

In game one, Marin Frazee, Eva Viox, and Rylee Riesburg each recorded two doubles. Frazee and Riesburg also drove in three RBIs apiece, while Laila Smith, Eva Viox, and Leah Conlon each added two RBIs.

Shannon Van Rheenen (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Nursing) picked up the win in the matchup, throwing 4.0 innings in the circle.

WPU 2, Dakota Wesleyan 0

Tori Smith used her relief appearance against Northwestern to build momentum, which she carried through the best seven innings of her Statesmen career.

The junior threw her first collegiate no-hitter, permitting just one baserunner on a second-inning error.  Tori Smith, who had just one strikeout, was backed by a strong defense that tallied 12 groundouts and three flyouts.

Tori Smith partnered with Conlon to prove all of WPU's offense (five of the team's six hits).  The duo helped their crew to a pair of first-inning runs, as Conlon, who was 3-for-3, drove in Frazee on a double.  Conlon herself then came around on a single by Tori Smith.

That was all the offense Tori Smith would require as she sat down the final 17 batters she faced.

The no-hitter is the first for William Penn since Chelsey Huff pitched a perfect game on March 22, 2025.

"It was a great showing this weekend," Head Coach Laura North said. "And better things are coming. Our loss against Dordt wasn't bad. We had plenty of opportunities but just couldn't string anything together and ran into some bad luck. The bounce back was big. Shannon went the distance for us this weekend and got really good results including the win against #17 Northwestern."

"Of course the hillocks was Tori's no-hitter against a team that was averaging 10 runs a game," North added. "She was phenomenal. Our offense really came alive. Still making the pieces of the puzzle fit together but the girls are making it hard on me to make lineups. There are so many players stepping up and contributing both defensively in key spots and creating offense. It stinks there are only 10 spots on the lineup card!"