Comeback falls short for Simpson at No. 23 Coe

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The No. 23 Coe baseball squad was too much for Simpson College on Thursday and grabbed a doubleheader sweep to start the four-game series.

The Kohawks (20-3, 16-2 A-R-C) scored early in the opener to win 9-4, while the Storm (7-12, 4-9 A-R-C) had a slight comeback of six runs in the eighth to just miss splitting the twinbill in an 11-8 defeat.

Game One: Coe 9, Simpson 4
Ryan Willis and Keaton DeKock led the offense with two hits each, while DeKock drove in a pair of runners.

After falling down 5-0 after the third, Simpson plated two runs in the fifth on back-to-back RBI singles by Willis and DeKock. The hosts answered with three runs in the bottom of the third and added another in the sixth.

The Storm did not bow out quietly by scoring a pair in the seventh. Chris Miller roped a single to score TJ Stephenson and DeKock ripped a base knock that allowed Miller to hustle home.

Kolton Major struck out seven batters in 5.1 innings of work.

Game Two: Coe 11, Simpson 8
The Kohawks garnered a 5-0 tilt through the first six innings of play. Simpson added a crooked number in the seventh after Josh Breitbarth blasted a two-run homer for the first of his career.

Coe responded with six runs in the bottom half of the inning on five hits and two Storm errors. Simpson executed its own six-run inning during its next at-bat. Kolton Arnold drove in two with a single and Miller clubbed a two-run double to highlight the scoring spree.

Noah Sacco reached second on a double in the ninth for a late rally, but was stranded to close out the nightcap.

Up Next
The two squads cap off the season series this Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.