The Simpson softball team prevailed in the winner-take-all game in the Indianola regional 3-2 over the St. Benedict Bennies after dropping the first game of the day 4-3.
Game One:
The Storm got on the board early in the first inning with a Katie Shaner RBI infield single to make it a 1-0 game. Both starting pitchers kept the opposition in check until the fourth inning when St. Benedict’s Tuscany Ballot hit a home run to left field to tie the game 1-1. In the next inning. the Bennies began to create seperation from the Storm by plating two runs on a Lauren Freeburg single and a bases-loaded RBI sacrifice fly from Downhour to make it 3-1. In the same inning, Simpson was able to get one back with back-to-back walks that were followed up by a distraction on the basepaths causing Heidelbauer to score.
Heading into the seventh, it was a 3-2 Bennies lead and gained another insurance run off a throwing error by Brynn Ortlund to make it 4-2. Although the Storm did score one in the seventh, they fell short 4-3 to force a winner-take-all game.
Game Two:
Game two began in a scoreless battle for the first two innings. However, in the third the Bennies scored a pair off of a two-RBI double by Lily Treml to grab the lead. Later on, Simpson was able to cut the lead in half with a Megan Heidelbauer RBI single through the right side to score Caelynn Obleton. The Storm went into the top of the seventh down 2-1 and the madness arose once more.
With one out in the inning, back-to-back groundballs resulted in throwing errors by Bennie Pitcher Olivia Wallace to put runners on the basepaths. Obleton hit one up the middle with two outs to tie the game at two and scoring Gookin. The very next hitter, Brynn Ortlund did the same thing with an RBI single to left scoring pinch-runner Abigail Rouse. In the bottom half, the Bennies didn’t go away lightly as the Bennies began the half inning with back-to-back singles but in the end, Storm pitcher Marina Cronin shut the door to secure the regioanl championship and super regional berth for the Storm. Simpson improved to 37-6 with the win and will now play St. Mary’s beginning Thursday in a best of three series for a trip to the Women’s College World Series on the line.
