Fisher, VanVleet sweep IIAC weekly awards
INDIANOLA, Iowa – Simpson duo Riley Fisher and Abbie VanVleet led the Storm to a 4-0 record last week, sweeping Iowa Conference Softball Player of the Week honors for the period endeing Sunday, April 19.
Fisher was voted as the league's Pitcher of the Week and Female Athlete of the Week while VanVleet took home Position Player of the Week honors. The weekly accolade is the second this season for Fisher and the third for VanVleet, who earned two Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season.
Fisher, a junior from Des Moines, Iowa, went 3-0 with two complete games, a shutout and 14 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings last week. She earned both wins in the sweep over Coe, getting a shutout in a 9-0, five-inning win in game one and going 5 1/3 innings in the Storm's 4-1 win in game two. She closed the week with a dominating, nine-strikeout effort in a 2-1 win over Loras. She went the distance against the Duhawks, allowing one run and four hits to improve to 12-3 on the season and 4-1 in the Iowa Conference.
While her time in the circle was limited, VanVleet found ways to contribute with her bat. A junior from Indianola, Iowa, VanVleet hit .600 with two doubles and four RBIs in the sweeps over Coe and Loras. She went 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the 9-0 win over Coe in game one and drove in a run and scored twice in the 5-3 win over Loras in the nightcap. She also earned the save in the game-two win over Loras, freezing the final batter on strikes with bases loaded and Simpson clinging to two-run lead.
Fisher, VanVleet and the Storm swept Dubuque in a doubleheader Tuesday, extending the team's winning streak to six games and clinching a spot in the IIAC Tournament. Simpson is now in sole possession of third place in the standings.
Simpson hosts Wartburg in a doubleheader Saturday, April 25 to close the regular season.