Storm's bats electric in sweep of Crown

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Simpson baseball team threatened school records for offense in game one and evened its season record by sweeping Crown (Minn.) in a doubleheader at the Tucson Invitational on Wednesday.

The Storm (3-3) won game one 19-1 and completed the sweep with an 8-6 triumph in the nightcap.

Simpson got the wins despite missing a handful of players – including preseason All-American, Tyler Craig – due to a flu bug making its way around the team.

The Storm close play at the Tucson Invitational on Thursday when they face Wesleyan (Conn.) and Wheaton (Ill.).

SIMPSON 19, CROWN 1
The offense cut loose for 20 hits, 18 RBIs, seven doubles and four triples as it scored the most runs by a Simpson team since 2008.

Jake Esdohr tied a school record with five hits, going 5-for-5 with a walk and four RBIs to lead the offensive onslaught. Michael Chia drove in four runs, Nick Anderson and Bud Smith had three hits apiece and Chia and Brett Crable each had a double and a triple.

Simpson broke the game open with eight runs in the second, sending 12 batters to the plate. Both of Crable's extra-base hits came in the big inning. He led off the inning with a triple and scored on a single by Edsohr and then drove in a run on a triple before scoring for the second time in the inning.

Chia hit a three-RBI triple to highlight a six-run seventh.

Jake Scieszinski had a solid day on the hill, striking out nine and scattering seven hits in 6 1/3 to get his first win of the season.

Simpson's four triples tied a school record, the seven doubles were one shy of tying a school record and the 18 RBIs were the third most in a game in school history. Simpson's last offensive outburst also came against Crown when it scored 37 and 25 in a doubleheader on April 1, 2008.

SIMPSON 8, CROWN 6
Simpson scored seven runs in the first and held on for the win despite being outhit 12-6 on the day.

Smith and Gage Reis had two RBIs apiece in the first inning to help Simpson build a comfortable lead.

Crown came back with a four-run second, getting a two-RBI double by Blake Jobe and a two-run single by Jacob Tarver to pull within 7-5. Crable drove in a run on a groundout in the second to give Simpson an 8-5 lead, which lasted until the third when Jobe added another run on a double.

Neither team scored the rest of the way. Brock Borgeson held Crown scoreless in the fifth and sixth and Adam Richman closed the door in the seventh to earn the save. Daultan Gibson entered the game in the second for injured starter Aaron Young, picking up the win after allowing two runs in three innings of work.