Simpson leads early but falls to Grinnell

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson baseball team got on top early but couldn't hold on in an 11-9 non-conference loss to Grinnell on Thursday afternoon.

Simpson led 6-3 after five innings but surrendered four runs in the sixth and was unable to recover.

Colton Calvert broke out of a slump by going 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs for the Storm (12-15). He was hitting .087 going into the game.

Tyler Craig went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs and Tyler Pawletzki went 2-for-3 with a run driven in.

Leadoff hitter J.R. Dowrick went 4-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs to lead the Pioneers (7-12).

Five different pitchers threw no more than three innings apiece for Simpson, which begins a weekend series against Iowa Conference foe Cornell on Friday.

Freshman Jake Scieszinski threw three effective innings, yielding two runs – both earned – off four hits. Eric Jones shouldered the tough loss, giving up four unearned runs in two innings of work. He falls to 0-2.

Trailing 6-3, Grinnell took advantage of a Simpson error to plate four unearned runs in the sixth. With two outs in the inning and a runner on first, Jackson Markey reached on Simpson's infield error. Kainoa Inafuku then singled in a run and a triple by Drew Davis brought in two more. Dowrick finished the inning with an RBI single to center that gave the Pioneers a 7-6 lead.

Grinnell added three in the eighth and one in the ninth, extending the lead to 11-7.

Craig roped an RBI double in the ninth and scored on a throwing error, but Simpson left the tying run at the plate to end the game.

Jason Ormond got the win for Grinnell, improving to 1-4. He gave up only one hit in 2 2/3.

The Storm travel to Mt. Vernon for a three-game set with Cornell this weekend. First game begins Friday at 4 p.m.