Fighting through the weather conditions, the Simpson College Softball team used a six-run fifth inning to roll past DePauw 9-5 in the opening round of the NCAA Regional.
DePauw jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Simpson responded in the bottom of the frame with Ashlyn Steen and Megan Heidelbauer singling and scoring on back-to-back wild pitches to put Simpson on top 2-1. Heidelbauer scored for the second time in the contest in the bottom of the third, as Katie Shaner’s sac-fly extended the Storm lead to 3-1. DePauw was held in check until the fifth inning, when three singles and an error tied the game up at 3-3. In the bottom half of the fifth, Simpson led off with a Heidelbauer walk, followed by an RBI double from Alexis Ehlers to regain a 4-3 lead. The game was suspended due to weather for nearly two hours after that double, but following the delay, the Storm picked up right where they left off with an RBI single from Mackenzie James to make it 5-3. The Storm opened the floodgates in the fifth, capping off the six-run inning with a bases-clearing triple from Steen to extend the lead to 9-3. DePauw battled back to pull within 9-5, but Simpson slammed the door shut on the comeback attempt and secured the win.
In the circle, Emma LaFave recorded her seventh complete game of the season, allowing nine hits and four earned runs, while striking out two. Simpson (32-7) only needed nine hits on the day to deal all their damage, with the trio of Steen, Heidelbauer, and James combining for six of the Storm’s hits along with four RBIs and four runs scored. Heidelbauer, who individually went 2-3 with a walk and three runs scored, said that patience was key in attacking the Tigers pitching.
“I thought they were spinning it well, credit to their pitchers, but I just moved up in the box to kind of try to beat the spin a little bit so it came in a little more flat and a little more straight. So, just kind of staying patient, waiting for mine, and when they put it there I just made sure to take a good hack at it.”
Simpson will now face top-seeded Saint Mary’s today at 11 am and the game can be heard live on 94.3 KNIA. The winner of today’s game will advance to the regional championship on Saturday, while the losing team will play again later today at 4 pm.