Storm take two from Wartburg, extend streak to eight

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Kacee Arey got out of a jam in the seventh to secure a game-two win as the Simpson softball team took both games of its doubleheader against Wartburg on Wednesday, winning game one 4-1 and taking the nightcap 3-2.

Carissa Coopman stayed hot at the plate, going 3-for-6 on the day to lead the Storm (21-7, 4-0 Iowa Conference), who won their eighth game in a row. Jessica Toyne drove in three runs.

Trailing 3-2 in the nightcap, Wartburg's Emily Braem led off the seventh inning with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice.

Facing the eight and nine hitters in the lineup with the tying run standing on third, Arey got the last two batters to strikeout looking.

A junior, Arey (18-7) went the distance in both games. She carried a perfect game into the sixth inning of game one, but lost it – and the shutout – when Braem hit a solo home run to right.

Braem and Ashley Bienemann each went 2-for-5 at the plate to lead the Knights (6-22, 0-4).

Toyne's two-run blast in the second inning gave Simpson a 2-0 lead and Hillary Harmon scored the winner in the fourth thanks to a few fortuitous bounces.

With two outs in the inning, Harmon singled up the middle. In the next at-bat, pitcher Hayley Woszczysnki bounced a pitch off the plate, allowing Harmon to move to second. As the catcher Braem tried to track the ball down, Harmon took off for third. Braem came up firing, but her attempt to throw out Harmon squirted into the outfield, allowing her to take home and give the Storm a 3-2 lead.

Game one provided fewer tense moments, as Simpson jumped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings. An RBI triple by Coopman produced the third run.

Harmon added some cushion with an RBI groundout in the sixth that made the score 4-1.

Simpson concludes its six-game homestand on Saturday, April 7 when it welcomes No. 5 Luther to Simpson Softball Complex for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.