Craig hits slam, Storm beat Wesleyan and Wheaton

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Simpson baseball team picked up a pair of wins Thursday in the final day of the Tucson Invitational, beating Wesleyan (Conn.) 14-3 and Wheaton (Ill.) 13-6.

The Storm (5-3) closed their Spring Break Trip on a four-game winning streak, which began with a pair of wins against Crown on Wednesday.

Tyler Craig was the big story for the Storm on their final day in Arizona. After sitting out a day with the flu, the preseason All-American went 7-for-10 with a grand slam, three doubles, a triple and seven RBIs. His grand slam came in the third inning of the Wheaton game, swinging the momentum in Simpson's favor.

Simpson is off until March 19 when it goes to AIB for a 2 p.m. start.

SIMPSON 14, WESLEYAN 3
Craig and Jake Barr each had four hits as Simpson beat Wesleyan for the second time in four days. Nick Anderson led the team with three RBIs, driving in a run in the first, second and eighth innings.

The Storm finished with 20 hits and got out to an 8-0 lead before Wesleyan got on the board. After scoring twice in the first, Simpson scored five in the second to take a commanding 7-0 lead.

Matt Pennings was masterful on the hill, scattering 10 hits over seven innings to get his first win of the season. He struck out six and didn't allow a run until the fifth inning.

SIMPSON 13, WHEATON 6
Simpson trailed 1-0 in the third before Craig hit his first home run of the year, a grand slam over the right field fence. The Storm led 7-5 after six before scoring four in the seventh to put the game out of reach.

Jake Anctil drove in the first run of the seventh on a single, Craig brought in a run on a walk and Michael Chia and Brett Crable scored on wild pitches.

Craig finished 3-for-5 while Barr, Crable and Josh Pirtle had two hits apiece.

Gage Reis had a solid outing in getting his first win of the season, scattering 11 hits and allowing five runs – four earned – in six innings of work.