Storm drop doubleheader to Wartburg

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Cold, wet conditions and a lengthy rain delay made for a long day of baseball as Simpson fell to Wartburg 8-6 and 7-0 in the home finale at McBride Field on Sunday.

Andrew Krehbiel had six hits and four RBIs for the Knights (20-16, 12-8 Iowa Conference), who picked up a three-game sweep over Simpson despite committing eight errors Sunday. Krehbiel went 4-for-5 in game two of the doubleheader.

Tyler Crandell homered in game one, but the Storm (16-20, 10-11) managed only nine hits against Wartburg pitching on the day.

Originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m., the games were moved up to Noon in order to avoid the forecasted early afternoon rainfall. The teams reached the top of the fourth before play was suspended for 4 hours, 32 minutes, and the game didn't pick back up until 5:14 p.m.

Simpson started the day on the right foot, scoring three in the first inning of the opener. No. 2 hitter Michael Chia tripled to score a run, Tyler Craig drove him in on a single one batter later and Grant Thomas plated an RBI double to center for the early lead.

But things went South in the second.

Krehbiel drove in two on a single to start the rally. Then, with two outs, Blake Wilson took a Kyle Ruehle delivery deep to center. Speedy enterfielder Brett Crable recovered from an early misstep and made what appeared to be a diving catch at the warning track. The ball was ruled to have hit the ground upon the glove's impact, however, and Wilson wheeled around the bases for a three-run, inside the park homer.

Simpson tied the game at 5-5 with a run in the fourth, but Ryan Powers scored the eventual winning run on a fielder's choice in the fifth inning.

Jose Rodriguez (3-3) threw five innings in relief of Ruehle, who is battling an injured throwing arm. Chase Hirschauer (2-1) struck out five in four innings of relief work for Wartburg.

Game two starter Michael Schinstock kept Simpson batters guessing all night. A lefty, Schinstock (3-2) struck out 10 and allowed four hits as the Storm advanced four runners into scoring position.

Krehbiel and Tony Stenberg drove in two each for the Knights, who scored twice in the first and built a 6-0 lead after five.

Chris Dorff (5-6) lost for only the third time in conference play, striking out four for the Storm. Jake Barr went 2-for-3 at the plate.

Simpson will travel to Grinnell on Tuesday, May 1 for a non-conference contest before closing the regular season with a three-game set at Dubuque next weekend.