Central outslugs Softball in IIAC opener

by Brock Borgeson

Usually 17 runs between two games would earn the Simpson College softball team at least one win, but the Central College Dutch ousted the Storm offense, generating 27 runs in Tuesday’s doubleheader as the swept Storm in Indianola.

GM: 1 – Central 11, Simpson 10

Simpson pounded out 13 hits and jumped out to a 8-4 lead behind a three-run home run by Rachel Guessford and a grand slam from freshman Brianna Chaplin, although Central responded with a 7-2 to close out the game, coming away with a 10-9 win in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener.

Central’s Abbey Stajack scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 8-8 in the top of 6th innings, eventually taking the lead on a Emily Walton RBI single in the top of the 7th.

Ashley Prettyman homered to right center, her second home run in as many games.

Mallory Schulenberg got Hailey Jensen to ground out to third base for the final out, leaving the bases loaded as Central escaped with the one-run win.

Trisha Smith (10-1) earned the win for Central, going only 2.2 for her 10th win of the year.

Kaytlyn Ernst (2-1) was saddled with the loss, giving up 2 earned runs in 1.2 innings after coming on in the fifth to relieve Riley Fisher, who started in the circle for the Storm.

Fisher pitched 4.1 innings, giving up five earned runs in on five walks and six hits.

GM: 2 – Central 16, Simpson 7

The Dutch (16-5, 2-0) scored in every inning except the fourth, highlighted by a four run third and seven run seventh inning on their way to their second win on the day.

VanVleet (10-2) took the loss for Simpson (21-5, 0-2), giving up a season-high seven earned runs in 5.2 innings.

Schulenberg (8-4), who got the save in game one, got roughed up for six runs in 4.2 innings although it was good enough for the win.

Central took the 2-1 lead in the top of the second and expanded to a 6-4 lead after three, never looking back from there.

Abbie Voas homered and drove in four runs as Karlee Rock homered twice in game two after going deep in game one.

Jensen had 3 RBI and a homer as Chaplin drove in three more runs although Simpson made three costly errors to offset 10 hits.

Going forward:

Simpson will get another chance in the IIAC, heading to Storm Lake on Saturday to take on the Buena Vista University Beavers (10-11, 1-1) in a doubleheader.