Storm run win streak to 12 with road sweep of Grinnell

GRINNELL, Iowa - The Simpson College softball team extended its win streak to 12 games with a road sweep of Grinnell on Saturday afternoon.

The Storm (17-5) came back from four runs down early in game one to win off a sacrifice fly from Ashlyn Steen. Steen was 7-for-8 at the plate, including a perfect 5-for-5 in game two, collecting three RBIs on the day. Maddie Luderman and Alexis Ehlers drove in another two runs in game one, while the Storm pitching was led by Kylee Tucker and Taryan Barrick-Wessels.

"It was a great day, being able to take two games from a tough Grinnell team who played in the NCAA Tournament last year," said Storm head coach Brent Matthias. "We had good pitching, timely defense, and key hits. We got great performances from Kylee Tucker coming in and getting out of a bases loaded jam to earn the win, as well as Ashlyn Steen having a great day at the plate by going 7-for-8. The ladies are playing some great ball in this win streak."

GAME ONE: Simpson 6, Grinnell 5

• Grinnell got off to a hot start, plating a couple of runs in both the first and second innings to take a 4-0 lead.
• The Storm responded in the third inning, loading the bases after three straight singles. Ehlers laced a two-run double to center field, cutting the Pioneers' (10-10) lead in half with one swing.
• Luderman continued her chase to the all-time RBI leader in program history with a single that scored both Ehlers and Megan Heidelbauer.
• The Storm took its first lead of the game in the fourth inning, with a double from Caelynn Obleton scoring Rylee Purvis.
• The Pioneers tied it back up in the fifth, but Steen's sacrifice fly gave Simpson the lead for good.
• Kylee Tucker retired the final seven batters she faced to firmly shut the door and give Simpson the win.

GAME ONE LEADERS

• Maddie Luderman, 3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B
• Ashlyn Steen: 2-for-3, RBI, run
• Caelynn Obleton: 2-for-2, RBI, 2B, BB, run
• Alexis Ehlers: 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2B, run
• Kylee Tucker: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 SO, win

GAME TWO: Simpson 6, Grinnell 1

• The Storm got off to the better start in game two, with a triple from Steen scoring both Obleton and Kate Kriegel.
• Heidelbauer was the ensuing batter and doubled to score Steen, giving Simpson a 3-0 lead after two innings.
• The Pioneers had runners in good spots in each of the first three innings, but only scored one run off of it in the third inning, with Taryan Barrick-Wessels pitching around some jams to limit the damage.
• Freshman Mackenzie James restored the Storm's four-run lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning.
• Obleton added another RBI hit, as Barrick-Wessels held the Pioneers scoreless the rest of the game.

GAME TWO LEADERS

• Ashlyn Steen: 5-for-5, 2 RBI, 3B, run
• Megan Heidelbauer: 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, run
• Caelynn Obleton: 1-for-3, RBI, 2B, run, SB
• Taryan-Barrick Wessels: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

NOTABLE

• The Storm now lead the all-time series against the Pioneers by a mark of 14-7.
• Kylee Tucker is now 5-0 on the year, only allowing four earned runs the entire year.
• Taryan Barrick-Wessels (1.08) and Tucker (1.15) each have two of the best ERA's in the conference
• The Pioneers had 11 hits in game two, but clutching pitching and defense from Simpson held them to just one run.
• The 12-game win streak extends the record for the longest streak under Storm head coach Brent Matthias.

RECORD WATCH

• Maddie Luderman is now at 107 career RBIs, just four away from tying the record.
• Ehlers collected her 28th and 29th RBIs of the year, chasing the single-season record of 46.

UP NEXT
The Storm open up conference play at home with a doubleheader against Buena Vista on Wednesday afternoon.