Storm top Luther under the lights

INDIANOLA, Iowa –Aaron Young put together a gritty performance on the mound and the Simpson baseball team survived a rocky fifth inning to hold on for an 8-5 win over Luther in the series opener on Friday evening at McBride Field.

Despite out-hitting Luther 16-7, Simpson stranded 13 on the base paths, allowing the visitors to hang around throughout the contest.

Tyler Crandell went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Grant Thomas went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two doubles for the Storm (10-8, 4-0 Iowa Conference), who extended their winning streak to four games.

The left-handed Young threw 124 pitches on the night and remained steady despite watching Simpson's three-run lead evaporate in the fifth inning.

Simpson led 3-0 after two innings and carried a 3-1 lead into the fifth, when Luther led off the inning with three straight singles. A Chris Reynolds single scored the third run of the inning, giving Luther a 4-3 lead.

But Young got out of the jam, retired the side in order in the sixth, got Eric Pittman to ground into an inning-ending double-play in the seventh and recorded the first two outs of the eighth before giving way to reliever Jose Rodriguez. Young (3-2) allowed seven hits and five runs, struck out seven and walked only one.

Simpson tied the game after Thomas doubled to lead off the fifth and came home on a single by Tyler Pawletzki two batters later. The Storm re-gained the lead on an Ethan Hale double in the sixth and went up 7-4 on Craig's two-RBI single in the seventh.

Reynolds finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a solo home run to lead the Norse (7-8, 0-1). Alec Knop (1-1) shouldered the loss, allowing four runs – two earned – in three innings of relief work.

Chris Dorff got his second save of the season, retiring the final three batters of the game after issuing back-to-back walks to start the frame.

Simpson and Luther conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Notes: Simpson improves to 9-1 in games in which it scores first ... Chris Dorff picked up save No. 8 of his career, tied for the most in school history with David Teske (1988-91) ... Dorff also passed Shawn Parker on Simpson's career strikeout list, moving him into fifth with 163.