Softball sweeps Buena Vista, sends seniors out in style
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Buena Vista | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
|
Simpson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | X | 4 | 9 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Buena Vista | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
|
Simpson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | X | 7 | 12 | 0 |
INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson softball team wasn't about to let its seniors go out with anything less than a pair of wins.
Simpson trailed 3-2 in game one and 3-0 in game two before coming back to sweep Buena Vista in the final home doubleheader of the regular season, 4-3 and 7-3 on Tuesday.
Tori Haag tied a school record with three doubles in the opener and Britney Steele hit a grand slam in game two for the Storm (23-13, 8-4 Iowa Conference), who sit in a four-way tie for second in the league standings with two games to play.
After splitting with Central on Tuesday, Coe (9-3) leads the league. Simpson, Central, Luther and Dubuque are all one game back at 8-4.
Simpson trailed 3-2 in the fourth inning of game one before Hailey Jensen drove in the tying run on a single, scoring Haag from second. Haag hit her third double in as many at bats to set up the run and used an evasive, head-first slide to tie the score 3-3.
Kylie Van Houten's two-out single in the sixth scored Abbie Van Vleet, the game-winning run.
Van Vleet (15-2) tossed a complete-game, striking out two. Haag finished 3-for-4 and Hillary Harmon went 2-for-3 with an RBI.
The Beavers (13-17, 5-7) scored one in the first and two in the second to take a 3-0 lead in game two.
The lead held until the fourth, when Steele came to the plate with the bases loaded and Simpson trailing 3-1. Steele turned on a pitch from Jenna Falline and sent it off the top of the fence in left and out for her fourth home run of the season and a 5-3 Simpson lead.
Senior Emily Macki tripled and scored in a rare plate appearance and Jensen and Ashley Prettyman also drove in runs in the inning.
Kaytlyn Ernst (7-9) shut Buena Vista down in relief of Van Vleet, holding the Beavers to no runs and three hits in the final five innings.
Haag, Jensen and Prettyman all had two hits for the Storm.
Simpson closes the regular season Saturday, April 26 at Loras. The Duhawks (13-19, 1-11) were swept by Luther on Tuesday.
First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
Notes: Seniors Hillary Harmon, Emily Macki, Emma Negrete and Kylie Van Houten were recognized in a ceremony between games.
