Storm send seniors out with sweep of Wartburg
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wartburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
|
Simpson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wartburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
|
Simpson | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
INDIANOLA, Iowa – Ashley Prettyman hit for the cycle in game one, Kacee Arey earned her 60th career win in the final home game of her career and Simpson swept Wartburg 8-0 in six innings and 4-0 in the regular season finale on Saturday.
The sweep helped Simpson earn the No. 4 seed in next week's Iowa Conference Tournament, which will be hosted by conference co-champion, Coe. Simpson opens the tournament against No. 5 seed Dubuque at 10 a.m. on Thursday in Cedar Rapids.
On her way to the cycle, Prettyman got the toughest feats out of the way first. The sophomore led the game off with a triple, homered in the second, doubled in the fourth and completed the cycle with a single in the sixth. She finished game one 4-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Storm (29-9, 8-6 Iowa Conference).
Prettyman's home run in the second was a three-run shot over the centerfield fence that came as part of a four-run frame, giving Simpson a 6-0 lead after two. The contest came to a close an inning early when back-to-back RBI singles from Emma Heitritter and Chelsea Winegard made it an 8-0 game in the sixth.
Arey made the most of her final home start – the 92nd start of her career – by tossing a three-hit shutout and striking out four. Arey (21-8) improved her career record to 60-30, her 60 wins ranking second all-time at Simpson to Kelly Schade Fry's 113.
Arey and Fry are the only pitchers in Simpson history to post back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Simpson rode the arm of Kaytlyn Ernst and took advantage of a few Wartburg miscues in the nightcap.
Ernst (8-1) struck out five in the first two innings en-route to fanning seven in the three-hit shutout.
Leslie Downing scored on a wild pitch in the first and drove in a run on a bouncing single in the second to give Simpson a 2-0 lead. A dropped fly ball allowed a run to score in the fourth and the final tally came in the sixth, when pinch-runner Emma Negrete came home on the second wild pitch of the game.
The Knights (4-28, 0-14) managed just six hits against Simpson pitching on the day and put six runners in scoring position.
Between games, seniors Arey, Downing, Tieryn Potratz, Jessica Toyne and Winegard were recognized and presented senior awards.
