After spending over a week in Florida to open their season, the Simpson softball team returned home to Iowa and opened up their home schedule this past Saturday in the condensed version of the Simpson Classic.

The tournament was trimmed to a one day event due to the threat of inclement weather this past weekend.

Simpson was victorious in the first two contests before falling to St. Scholastica in the final game in 8 innings.

“We played really well up until the last game,” sophomore Meghan Kelso said. “We just let them hang with us too long instead of getting the job done and they ended up beating us in extra innings.”

In the opener Simpson beat Monmouth College out of Illinois 3-1. Freshman Rebecca Siler stepped it up at the plate going 2-3 in the game. Sophomore Alex Quijano picked up two RBI’s in the game, which proved to be the game winner for the Storm.

Junior Amy Kulisky and sophomore Lyndsy Owen teamed up to pitch a two-hitter in the contest.

“Our pitching has been as good, if not better on occasion, than it ever has as a whole,” head coach Henry Christowski said. “Amy is at the top of her game and Owens and Brady Stumpff will only get better with time.”

Against Gustavus Adolphus the Storm won 7-0. Junior Laura Halbrook led the Storm with 3-4 hitting. Sophomore Jill Carson and Siler both went 2-3 at the plate and had three and two RBI’s respectively. Kulisky got the win pitching six innings and striking out seven.

In the 2-1 loss against Scholastica Halbrook once again led the Storm at the plate going 2-4 and freshman Courtney Steeve was also 2-4.

“We have to work on not leaving runners on base when we are up to bat,” Kelso said. “We are a great hitting team, but our timely hitting is what is hurting us.”

The Storm head to St. Louis this weekend for a tournament before returning home to open up conference against Wartburg on April 4.

According to Christowski, this years conference race should be between Central, Coe, Wartburg and Simpson.

“It is all going to come down to who has their bad days and when,” Christowski said. “Any team is able to knock someone off on any given day.”