Offense hard to come by as Storm fall to Wartburg

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson baseball team couldn't come away with a win in a four-game set against the Iowa Conference preseason favorites, dropping a doubleheader to Wartburg on Monday afternoon. Wartburg won 8-3 in the opener and 10-1 in the nightcap.

Austin Burlin finished the day 4-for-7 with three doubles, extending his hitting streak to 22 games dating back to last season. He drove in two in the opener to lead the Storm (4-13, 1-4 Iowa Conference).

Game One
Blake Mahoney's two-RBI double sparked a big second inning for Wartburg as the Knights (11-5, 4-0) built a 5-1 lead and never looked back. Mahoney finished 2-for-3 with three stolen bases.

Burlin and Bud Smith hit back-to-back doubles to score the Storm's first run, and Burlin drove in runs in the third and seventh. Starting pitcher Trevor Dudar struck out six in the loss, going six innings and allowing seven earned runs.

Wartburg hurler Max Langeinrich improved to 4-0, allowing eight hits and three earned runs with eight strikeouts in the complete game.

Game Two
Tanner Eckhart held Simpson to three hits in seven innings, striking out nine to earn his first decision of the season.

Burlin, Luke Anctil and Andy Anderson were the only starters to record hits for the Storm. Brandon Blom had an RBI single in the ninth, plating Jared Herzog for the lone run.

Ryan Kemp went 3-for-6 with a triple and three RBIs for the Knights.

Up next
The Storm continue a tough road stretch Tuesday when they host Central in a mid-week doubleheader at McBride Field. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.