McClaflin Hits Three Home Runs; Storm Sweep Bethel
Simpson College (25-14) swept Bethel University (20-16) in a doubleheader to end the 2008 regular season May 3 in Arden Hills, Minn. The Storm won the opener 21-8 as the squad smacked six home runs and recorded 20 hits. Jason McClaflin (Sr., Altoona, Iowa, Southeast Polk H.S.) established a school record for most hits in a game as he went 5-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI’s. McClaflin also scored four runs. Jeff Kinkel-Schuster (Fr., Indianola, Iowa, Indianola H.S.) pounded out three hits (3-for-4) and two RBI’s.
Chris Jones (Jr., Germantown, Wis., Germantown H.S.) was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI’s. Cory Dawson (Jr., Altoona, Iowa, Southeast Polk H.S.) and Joe Pogge (So., Carter Lake, Iowa, Council Bluffs Jefferson H.S.) each had two hits. Pogge opened the game with a home run. Curt Bjork (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Mt. Vernon H.S.) and Beau Kaplan (So., Ankeny, Iowa, North Polk H.S.) both hit their first home runs of the year. Bjork’s shot was a grand slam while Kaplan’s was a three-run job. Jared Sass (Jr, Iowa City, Iowa, City H.S.) won his seventh game of the year (7-1) as he went the first five innings for the Storm.
Simpson ended the day with a 5-4 victory. Dawson put the Storm into the lead in the top of the first as he hit a two-run home run. The Royals got one back in the bottom of the inning when Brandon Carr homered. McClafflin home in the third for a two-run Storm advantage, but Rob Lang tied the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
Simpson went ahead for good in the fifth with two runs. Jesse Reis (Jr., Coon Rapids, Iowa, Coon Rapids-Bayard H.S.) singled in Pogge for the go-ahead run. A Bjork sacrifice fly plated McClaflin later in the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Tyler Kramer drove in Lang with a ground out to short for the final run of the game. Slick grounded out to short to end the game.
Jake Ritchey (Sr., Indianola, Iowa, I-35 H.S.) improved to 6-1 as he went the first six innings. Keaton Sansgaard (Sr., Huxley, Iowa, Ballard H.S.) got the save as he pitched the seventh. Pogge, Dawson, and Reis each tallied two hits.
Simpson has now concluded the regular season and will host the Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament next week in Cedar Rapids. What seed and who the Storm will play is yet to be determined as league play is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, May 4. Coe is one game ahead of the Storm in the league standings. If the Kohawks split with or swept by Wartburg, the Storm will earn the second seed and a first round bye. If Coe sweeps, they are the No. 2 seed.
Game 1
Simpson 361 400 7 - 21 20 3
Bethel 010 330 1 - 8 12 2
S-Sass; Sansgaard (6) and Bjork . B—Slick, Jollie (4), and Anderson. W-Sass (7-1), L-Slick (2-1).
Win-Jared Sass(7-1) Loss-John Slick (2-1). HRs-Pogge (1); McClaflin 2 (3); Jones (4); Bjork (1); Kaplan (1), B; Anderson (1).
Game 2
Simpson 201 020 0 - 5 8 2
Bethel 102 000 1 - 4 9 0
S-Ritchey; Sansgaard (7) and Bjork. Bethel-Johnson, McCracken (5), and Darling. W-Ritchey(6-1) L-Johnson (0-1), S-Sansgaard (1) HRS-S; McClaflin (4); Dawson (1), B-Lang (1); Carr (5).