Storm settle for Senior Day split with Spartans

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College baseball team built a five-run lead in the first inning and held off a late charge by Dubuque for a 5-4 victory in the first game of Saturday's Senior Day split.

The Storm concluded the 2023 season with a 16-24 (6-18 A-R-C) record following a 13-1 loss in the nightcap. Dubuque (26-12, 13-10 A-R-C) secured the No. 5 seed in next week's American Rivers Conference Tournament with the two wins this weekend.

The Storm celebrated nine graduating players in between the two games. Fifth-year seniors Brady Held, Brennen Lemke, Matthew Marquez and Ryan Willis were all honored as well as true seniors Ty Cowley, Max Crooks, and Dallas Jackson and juniors Cody Grasmick and Lucas Juhl.

Game 1: Simpson 5, Dubuque 4
Simpson tallied six of its eight hits in the opening frame to race out to a 5-0 lead. Cowley drove the first run home with a single down the right field line and Juhl followed with a double to the same spot to increase the lead to two.

Sam Porter brought Juhl home with a base hit to left and the lead stretched to 4-0 when the Spartans made an error in the outfield allowing Porter to score. Lemke advanced to third on that miscue and scored on Zach Fuller's RBI single to right the next at bat.

Dubuque capitalized on a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and trimmed the advantage to 5-2 with one run in the eighth. The Spartans drew three walks to start the ninth and managed to pull within one thanks to a fielder's choice and a pinch hit single by Matt Wolverton. The comeback rally then came to an end as Dylan Schlee coaxed a flyout to right, earning his fifth save of the year.

Schlee's five saves this season are the most since Matt Pennings tied the program record with six in 2013. Mitchell Roeder earned the win on the mound, allowing seven hits and one run while striking out three in six innings.

Game 2: Dubuque 13, Simpson 1
The Spartans went ahead 6-0 through the first four innings with the help of three extra-base hits to deep left center including an RBI triple by Daniel Maller in the second.

Dubuque put up another crooked number in the sixth to claim an 8-0 lead before a run-scoring fielder's choice put Simpson on the board for the first time in the bottom of the eighth. Ian Baldwin came home from third on the play after reaching on a double and advancing to third on Joel Sampson's base hit to center. The Spartans added five runs on four hits in their half of the ninth.

Jackson, Grasmick and Crooks all took the mound for the final time in the loss.