Held hurls gem; Storm drop series to Loras

INDIANOlA, Iowa -- A pitcher's duel broke out in the first game of the doubleheader for Simpson College baseball on Saturday, but both contests went in favor of Loras, 1-0, 11-4, to sweep the day.

Brady Held went the distance in game one to only allow four hits with five strikeouts for the Storm (5-9, 2-6 A-R-C), but the Duhawks (11-5, 8-4 A-R-C) pushed an unearned run across in the third to win.

Game One: Loras 1, Simpson 0
Loras looked to score early in the top of the first inning by putting a pair of runners on, but Held worked around the scoring opportunity to get the batter to ground out to second.

In the second, the Duhawks had a batter reach via single just before he was thrown out at second by catcher Keaton DeKock on a failed stolen base attempt. DeKock has now thrown out four runners this spring.

Loras pushed its run across after a batter reached with two outs after Simpson committed an error. The lead would stick the rest of the way.

Simpson looked poised to knot the game at 1-1 in the sixth. Zach Hollingsworth singled and was moved to second on a groundout, but would be stranded.

Loras' Matt Jeter finished with five strikeouts in six innings of work for his third win of the season.

Game Two: Loras 11, Simpson 4
The series finale was much different than the first game on Saturday as both teams plated a run in the opening frame. Kolton Arnold drove in Brennen Lemke to tie the game at 1-1.

Simpson captured an early lead in the second with the aid of an RBI single by Held to score TJ Stephenson. Trey Castile, who was making his first appearance on the hill at McBride Field, worked his second one-two-three inning in the third to keep the Duhawks off the board.

Loras rebounded with a one in the fourth to tie the game and then erupted for six runs in the fifth to widen the gap to 8-2. Arnold and Hollingsworth helped the offense chip away at the deficit with RBIs in the fifth to make it an 8-4 contest.

Both squads were held scoreless in the sixth with the help of Max Crooks collecting back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded. The visitors would add three insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Lemke finished with three hits in the game, and Sefrit and Arnold both had two.

Up Next
Simpson remains at home for its next four-game series to take on Wartburg starting Friday, April 9 at 3:30 p.m.