Storm drop pair of one-run games to Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa — The Simpson baseball team lost a pair of tight contests to the defending Iowa Conference champions Tuesday, losing game one 7-6 on a walk-off single and falling 6-5 in the nightcap.

The Storm (5-15, 2-6 Iowa Conference) surrendered four runs in the ninth inning in game one after leading 6-3. The Knights (14-7, 5-0) led 6-2 in game two before Simpson pulled within one, only to fall a run short.

Game 1
Simpson led 6-3 going into the bottom of the ninth before Wartburg plated four in the final at-bat, getting a walk-off single from Cody Hyler. 

Back-to-back doubles by Luke Anctil and Josh Osborne sparked a three-run eighth that gave the Storm a 6-3 lead. Adam Richman and Nathan Carlin successfully laid down back-to-back squeeze bunts and Richman scored on a wild pitch. 

The Knights scored two of their four runs in the ninth on a failed pickoff and a balk before Hyler drove in the game-winner on a single to left.

Anctil went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two doubles.

Game 2
Nathan Carlin, Trent Dooley and Jared Herzog each drove in a run as Simpson scored three runs in the sixth, pulling within 6-5. But the Storm stranded runners in each of the last three innings.

Hillygus and Herzog had three hits apiece and Anctil got his third double of the day. Hillygus and Anctil each drove in a run in the top of the first, as Simpson took an early 2-0 before Wartburg tied it with two in the bottom half.

Wartburg took a 6-2 lead in the fourth on two-RBI doubles by Eric Willis and Brent Mahoney. 

Caylor Deeth held the Knights to three hits and no runs over the final four innings in relief. J Lowery (0-1) suffered the loss.