Loras takes doubleheader, series from Simpson

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Simpson baseball team lost two games by a combined three runs on Saturday, falling to Loras 3-2 and 5-3.

The Duhakws (12-4, 6-0 Iowa Conference) swept the four-game series from the Storm (5-12, 1-7).

Simpson will look to dust itself off when it hosts Central in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 9. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. at McBride Field in Indianola.

Game 1: Loras 3, Simpson 2
Mike Pudlo brought home the winning run on a base hit as Loras scored three in the seventh to come back for a 3-2 win over Simpson in Saturday's first game.

Loras trailed 2-0 heading into its last at-bat. Eric DeSousa – who hit a walk-off single to win game one Friday night – drove in the first run on base hit to right center. Nate Even scored on a passed ball one batter later to tie the game.

Gage Reis had a strong outing on the mound for Simpson, throwing six innings of shutout ball and allowing only three hits. He ran into trouble in the seventh when he allowed a base hit and issued a walk before handing the ball to Eric Jones.

Reis struck out four and issued only one walk and Jones (0-1) took the loss. Will Petrosky (2-0) struck out seven in the complete-game win for Loras.

Jake Esdohr went 2-for-3 to lead Simpson. Josh Pirtle and Tyler Craig drove in runs as Simpson scored two in the third to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 2: Loras 5, Simpson 3
Loras scored one run each in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings to build a 4-1 lead and held on for a 5-3 win over Simpson in Saturday's nightcap to earn the four-game sweep.

Mike Canavello and Cody Richter each went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Alex Rodriguez hit a home run and Ben Cotrell allowed just one run over seven innings for the Duhawks.

Rodriguez homered off Jones in the second inning to tie the game 1-1 and Jordan Ries scored the eventual winning run on a passed ball in the fifth. He reached base by virtue of a walk before stealing second and third.

Cotrell (3-0) fanned five and Jeremy Gerardy closed it out for his second save of the season.

Ethan Hale went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Storm, who lost for the ninth time in ten games. Jones (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs – all earned – over four innings.

Jake Scieszinski drove in two runs, the first of which came on a single in the top of the first to give Simpson a 1-0 lead. He knocked in another run in the eighth, grounding out with the bases loaded to score Hale and pull Simpson within 4-2.

Michael Chia walked with one out in the ninth and came home on an RBI double by Hale to make the score 5-3, but Tyler Crandell flied out to end the game.