Richman single gives Simpson walk-off win over Grinnell

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Adam Richman showed little rust in his first plate appearance of 2015.

Still recovering from an injury that forced him to miss the first 20 games of the season, Richman hit a pinch-hit, walk-off single as the Simpson baseball team beat Grinnell 5-4 on Tuesday.

The Storm (6-15) won their second game in a row, but didn't make it easy on themselves.

Simpson led 4-0 after the third and was up 4-2 going into the ninth, but Grinnell took advantage of some shaky defense to score twice, tying the game 4-4.

Jake Esdohr walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jake Scieszinski.

That's when Richman got the call. The sophomore hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that got through the middle infield, allowing Esdohr to score easily from second.

Brock Borgeson (1-1) got the win, losing a save opportunity when Graham Fisher hit a sacrifice fly that scored two runs in the ninth. Sam Galanek scored from third on the play and Anthony Mack tied the game on an errant throw from the outfield.

Ryan Penaflor went 3-for-5 with two RBIs to lead the Pioneers (6-11), who beat Simpson 9-1 in Grinnell on March 26. Galanek – who hit three home runs in the first meeting – went 2-for-5.

Bud Smith went 2-for-3, driving in the first run of the game on a single in the first. Jonathan Greiner roped a two-RBI single in the next at-bat to give Simpson a 3-0 lead. Gage Reis made it 4-0 in the third when he tripled and scored on a throwing error.

Simpson got solid mound outings from Daultan Gibson and Ethan Kain, two of Simpson's six hurlers on the night. Gibson got the start, allowing three hits and now runs. Kain gave up just one hit in his two innings and was in line for the win before Grinnell tied the game in the ninth.

Up Next

Simpson hosts Coe in a four-game, Iowa Conference series beginning Friday.