Central freshman pitcher Emma Beck struck out 11 Simpson batters as the 21st-ranked Dutch closed out a doubleheader sweep of the Storm with an 8-7 victory after winning game one 4-2. Both contests were heard live on KNIA3.
Central never trailed on the day, but neither victory was easy. Both teams scored runs in the first and third innings of the opener, but Simpson left the bases loaded in the third with a chance to take the lead. The Dutch took the lead for good on a Megan Doty RBI single in the fifth, added an insurance run on Haley Bach’s third hit of the game in the sixth, and secured the victory when Morgan Schaben retired all seven batters she faced in relief.
It was a more eventful nightcap, with Central jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 5-1. Beck started the contest in the circle, but was removed after struggling with command following an illegal pitch. Schaben entered in relief and gave up a home run to Maddie Luderman, then loaded the bases before Beck was brought back in. She surrendered a bases loaded walk, then a game tying two run single to Caelyn Obleton before finishing the inning with a pair of strike outs.
Central scored three unearned runs to take the lead in the fifth, then gave up two unearned runs of their own in the seventh that included base hits from Megan Heidelbauer and Obleton. Simpson had runners at first and third with two outs, and Beck struck out Ashlyn Steen to end the game.
Dutch coach George Wares was impressed with Beck’s ability to work through the illegal pitch and come back in to help the team pick up a crucial conference win.
“We felt really good about Morgan after she retired seven straight in the first game to clinch that win. She came in and did well for us right after we put her in, but we wanted to give Beck some time. We had (pitching coach) Brenda (Coldren) on speed dial, so we’re trying to figure out what it was, she said that we got it, and I think they corrected it pretty well.”
Bach reached base six times for Central on the day with three hits and three walks, she scored three runs and drove in a pair. Emma Johnson had two hits in each game and Emma Lennox had three hits in the twinbill. The Dutch are 22-4 and 3-1 in the American Rivers Conference. They’ll host Dubuque Saturday afternoon.
Simpson Head coach Brent Matthias said he was proud of the way his team fought throughout the contest, but they continue to have to find a way to not fall behind early and have to try to comeback to win. Matthias said the errors and walks were costly, and those are fixable mistakes.
In addition to the home run, Luderman drew three walks for Simpson, and Obleton, Steen and Alexis Ehlers all had three hits on the day. The Storm drop to 18-10 and 1-5 in the ARC. They will next play Monmouth in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday.