Simpson earns rare win at Buena Vista in DH split; Saturday's games moved up

STORM LAKE, Iowa - Devan Wicks drove in all three runs and Matt Pennings tossed a six-out save as the Simpson baseball team beat Buena Vista 3-1 in the first game of a doubleheader split on Friday. Buena Vista came back to win the nightcap 5-4 in 13 innings.

Gage Reis and Bud Smith had two hits each in the opener for the Storm (7-20, 3-13 Iowa Conference), who won in Storm Lake for the first time since 2009. Four Simpson pitchers held Buena Vista to six hits, the win going to Ethan Kain for tossing 1 1/3 innings of one-hit relief.

Wicks hit a two-run single with two outs in the second to give Simpson a 2-0 lead. With Simpson leading 2-1 in the fourth, Wicks brought in Smith on a ground out to pitcher Jake Bjorkgren.

Bjorkgren (4-1) - the son of newly hired Simpson men's basketball coach Brad Bjorkgren - gave up 10 hits and three runs, all earned, in the complete-game effort.

Bryce Wessels hit a walkoff double off Nick Carlisle in the bottm of the 13th to give the Beavers (18-9, 8-8) a 5-4, comeback win in the nightcap.

Simpson built a 3-0 lead on the strength of a two-RBI double from Jake Scieszinski in the first. Buena Vista came back with three runs in the seventh, getting two off a throwing error.

A base hit by Jake Esdohr brought in the go-ahead run in the ninth, scoring Wicks who led off the inning with a pinch-hit double. Eric Gurbacki's sacrifice fly off Pennings forced extra innings.

Carlisle (0-1) took the loss, giving up six hits and one run in 2 2/3 innings.

Saturday's Games Moved Up

Due to a wet forecast for Saturday, the final two games of the four-game set will begin at 9 a.m. instead of 1 p.m.