The Simpson College baseball team won game one of the series on Saturday, March 7, against Saint John’s University, but dropped both games of the doubleheader on Sunday, March 8, to walk away with a 1-2 record for the weekend.
In game one, the Storm got out to an early lead, plating three runs in the first two innings. Starting junior pitcher Charley Mershon went a strong five innings on the mound, and struck out seven batters and allowed only three hits.
Saint John’s bounced back in the seventh inning and scored two runs, but Simpson immediately answered with scores from seniors Sam Campin and Ian Baldwin who put the Storm back up by two.
In the bottom of the eighth, Saint John’s tied the game with two runs off of Simpson errors before senior Kasey Carter helped the Storm back on top in the eighth. Saint John’s was able to load the bases in the ninth, but senior Dylan Schlee struck out back-to-back batters for the win.
Campin said this was not a game they won in past years so it was nice to walk away with a win.
“Those back-and-forth, pressure-filled games are always fun. In previous years, we haven’t been too successful in those situations, but we feel different this year and embrace those situations,” he said. “It was nice to get the win, and I’m excited to keep seeing us grow.”
On Sunday, game one was a high-scoring affair with the Storm falling by a score of 20-9. The Storm jumped out first, taking a 3-0 lead after the first two innings, but began falling short in the third.
Saint John’s would put up five runs in the third inning to take the lead before Simpson responded with three more of their own to take the lead back 6-5.
Saint John’s, though, would score five more runs in the fourth inning, and six more runs in the sixth inning to secure the 20-9 win.
Sophomore Matthew Florence hit his second home run of the year in the fourth inning.
The third and final game of the series was the exact opposite of the prior, having only five combined runs scored between the two teams.
Saint John’s jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and would later add two more runs in the fifth inning.
For the Storm, they scored their lone run in the bottom of the fifth from Carter, his first of the season.
“It was an exciting feeling. The only thing I was thinking about was how to get another run to help us win the game,” Carter said.
The Storm has moved to 3-3 on the young season and will head to Florida for more games during spring break. They will get started with a doubleheader against Beloit College on March 13.
