Last inning rally helps Storm split with Wartburg

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Dave Johnson (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) scored the winning run on a wild pitch and Simpson erased a one-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh in a 7-6 game one win against Wartburg on Saturday afternoon at McBride Field.

Wartburg came back to win the nightcap of the doubleheader, 7-6. The two teams will finish the three-game set with a nine-inning contest Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Storm (18-13, 11-8 IIAC) took advantage of an error and two wild pitches in the final frame. Corey Rasmussen (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) walked and scored on a throwing error to tie the game before Johnson scored the game-winner on a wild pitch.

Drew Yarkosky (Albia, Iowa/Albia) led Simpson with three hits and an RBI.

Trailing 5-3, Scott Ethell (Knoxville, Iowa/Knoxville) brought Simpson within a run on an RBI-double in the bottom of the fifth. Justin Svehla (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Northeast) tied the game when he executed a suicide squeeze in the sixth.

The Knights (19-16, 13-6) re-gained the lead when Jacob Miksell hit an RBI-single in the seventh.

Chris Dorff (Urbandale, Iowa/West Des Moines Valley) picked up the win, going 2 1/3 innings in relief. Dorff (3-1) allowed five hits and a run, striking out three. Clint Rhodes (Legrand, Iowa/East Marshall) went 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts in the no-decision.

In game two, Wartburg scored five unearned runs in the fourth inning and totaled six in the frame. Simpson answered with two in the bottom of the inning and Rasmussen drove in a run on a fielder's choise in the seventh, but Simpson couldn't complete the rally.

Paul Brown (Polk City, Iowa/North Polk) took the game two loss. Brown (2-2) went 3 2/3 and allowed six runs - one earned - off eight hits.