Simpson teams head south for spring break

by Kelli Herzberg

Four Simpson athletic teams headed south for spring break and presented their game and skills against some quality opponents.

Baseball

Over the break, the Simpson baseball team traveled to Mesa, Ariz. The team ended up being 7-1 in the RussMatt Greater Phoenix Invitational.

The Storm won the first game against Brockport State 5-3, with senior Jon Clanton going 3-for-4 from the plate and collecting two RBIs. Simpson won the second game against Brockport State, 10-9.

After sweeping its first two games, the Storm swept St. Norbert. Simpson won the first game 8-6, with seniors Mike Turnure and Justin Stoulil leading the way. Turnure was 2-for-4 with two runs and Stoulil went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.

The Storm also swept its third opponent, Albertus Magnus by the scores of 14-1 and 8-4.

In the final set of two games, the Storm split with Dickinson State, losing the first match 14-5, but picking up the second win, 7-3.

The baseball team currently stands at 7-1 on the season.

Softball

The Simpson softball team traveled to Kissimmee, Fla. and continued the success of past Simpson teams leaving the Rebel Spring Games with a 10-4 record.

In the first game, the Storm fell to William Paterson, 2-0. But after the loss, the Storm went on a six-game winning streak. In this stretch, Simpson won 2-1 over St. Francis, 1-0 over Bridgewater State, 2-1 over Rhode Island College, 4-2 over Carthage, 14-1 over UW-Platteville and 5-1 over Benedictine.

After losing by a 3-2 count to Rowan, the Storm put together a three-game winning streak. The Storm took home an 8-0 win over Otterbein, a 5-1 win over Kean and a 5-1 victory over UW-Stout.

After losing their next game to Cortland State, 2-0, the Storm defeated Concordia, 4-3. Simpson ended the tournament with a 2-1 loss to the College of New Jersey.

The softball team currently stands at 12-4 on the season.

Men’s tennis

The men’s tennis team traveled to Orlando, Fla. playing four matches on the trip.

The team played Franklin & Marshall in its first match and fell 5-2. Sophomores Matt Leavenworth and Martin Zivadinovic each won their singles matches.

In the second match, the Storm lost a close one to Western New England College, 4-3. Leavenworth, Zivadinovic and sophomore Matt Johnson won their singles matches. Leavenworth and Johnson also won their doubles match in the losing effort.

Simpson lost its final two matches to Drew and Transylvania by the score of 7-0.

The men’s tennis team stands at 2-5 on the season.

Women’s tennis

Simpson’s women’s tennis team, like the men’s tennis team, traveled to Orlando, Fla. to face four opponents – Franklin & Marshall, Vassar, Drew and Manhattan.

The Storm lost its first match against Franklin & Marshall, but came back with a 7-2 win over Drew. Simpson won four singles and three doubles matches.

The Storm ended its first trip to Florida with a 6-3 loss to Manhattan and a 9-0 loss to Vassar.