Storm shut down Rams for road sweep

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Madeline Petersen did not allow a hit through five innings and the offense produced multiple two-out runs as the Simpson College softball team swept Cornell College on the road to keep the team's win streak active.

The Storm (16-4) have now won six games in a row amidst one of the team's best starts over the last decade. Petersen, the game two starter, did not allow a hit in her first five innings, only allowing two batters to reach via a walk and a hit-by-pitch in that timeframe. The Storm scored five of its six runs with two outs, propelling the team to its second and third wins over the Rams (4-8) this season.

Game One: Simpson 3, Cornell 1

Maddie Luderman doubled to deep left field, advancing Kate Kriegel to third after she walked. Karlie Hill grounded out to second base, but that allowed the Storm to take a 1-0 lead after the top of the first. Miranda Keith tied the game up for the Rams in the bottom half of the frame, ripping a double that made the game a 1-1 score.

Caelynn Obleton continued her normalcy of two-out hits, singling into right center field to give the Storm a 2-1 lead in the top of the next inning.

From there, the game turned into a pitching battle. Both Taryan Barrick-Wessels and Daelynn Rhodes routinely had to get out of innings with runners on base, but the score remained 2-1 until the top of the seventh. Ashlyn Steen singled with two outs to get on base, before Kriegel launched a double into deep right center field, giving the Storm an insurance run.

The Rams had a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, but Barrick-Wessels held serve, as her and the Simpson defense took care of the next three batters to preserve a 3-1 victory.

The Storm played great defensive softball, not committing an error. While the Rams had 10 hits to the Storm's nine, the Storm made two of its runs count with two outs. Barrick-Wessels won her second game against the Rams, throwing a complete game and striking out three.

Game Two: Simpson 3, Cornell 2

The final score was a little unfair to the Storm, as they dominated the vast majority of the game, behind the aforementioned performance of Petersen on the mound. The Rams pitching staff kept the Storm scoreless for the first four innings, but the Storm routinely had runners on base in game two as well.

The Storm finally broke through in the top of the fifth, with Payton Ganzer drawing a leadoff walk and advancing to second on a sac bunt. After an out, Kriegel delivered a two-out single to break the scoreless tie. Luderman and Hill both drew walks, with Kriegel then doubling the lead after a wild pitch with the bases loaded.

The Rams finally recorded a hit in the bottom of the sixth, with a leadoff single. The runner advanced to third with one out, before Petersen hit a batter, prompting head coach Brent Matthias to sub in Makayla Bryant. Bryant then got the next batter to ground into a double play, ending the threat and keeping the Storm lead at 2-0.

The Storm added a run in the top of the seventh which would prove to be critical. Luderman doubled with one out, with Megan Heidelbauer coming into pinch run for her. After she advanced to third on a wild pitch, Zoe Baker hit another two-out single, giving the Storm a 3-0 lead.

For all the work the Storm did, it nearly unraveled in the bottom of the seventh. The Rams loaded the bases with the first three batters, scoring a sacrifice fly afterward to make the score 3-1. The Rams hit a ground ball to Alexis Ehlers, who took the out at first, but the Rams scored to make it 3-2. With a runner on second, the Rams hit another single to put runners on the corners. The next batter was hit by a pitch, but made no attempt to get out of the way of the pitch. Despite a conference from the umpires, the play stood and now the bases were loaded again, with the Storm still just needing one out. However, Bryant got the last batter to pop up on the outer edges of the infield, with Kriegel making the final catch.

The Storm collected 17 hits compared to 13 for the Rams, only making one error across the two games. The trio of pitchers the Storm utilized today also combined for seven strikeouts. Kriegel was extremely valuable on the offensive end, recording three hits with an RBI and a run in each game. Baker had three hits in game two, while Luderman added three total hits in the two games as well.

Up Next

The Storm open American Rivers Conference play next Tuesday with doubleheader action at Nebraska Wesleyan, beginning at 3 p.m.