Loras Eliminates Simpson 7-4 From IIAC Baseball Tournament

Loras College (20-22) eliminated Simpson College (25-16) 7-4 in the loser’s bracket of the Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament May 9 in Cedar Rapids. Don Pirkle drove in Adam Gross with an RBI single in the top of the first to break the seal for the Duhawks. The Storm threatened in the bottom of the first, but with the bases loaded, Dave Johnson (Fr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Valley H.S.) grounded out to end the inning.

Cory Dawson (Jr., Altoona, Iowa, Southeast Polk H.S.) doubled with two outs in the bottom of the third. Chris Jones (Jr., Germantown, Wis., Germantown H.S.) tripled to right field to drive Dawson for the tying run. Jones came around to score on a Tim Carty wild pitch.

With two outs in the top of the fourth, Tim Andrews and John Schroeder put back-to-back hits. Storm starting pitcher Jake Ritchey (Sr., Indianola, Iowa, I-35 H.S.) ran a 3-0 count to Alex Milko, but Ritchey came back to strike out the Loras second baseman to quash the Duhawks’ threat. Joe Pogge (So., Carter Lake, Iowa, Council Bluffs Jefferson H.S.) singled home Jeff Kinkel-Schuster (Fr., Indianola, Iowa, Indianola H.S.) in the fourth to put the Storm up by two.

Ben Kuebel opened the fifth with a bunt single. With one out, Kuebel stole second. Nick Olberding walked to bring up Clark Egdorf. Egdorf grounded into a fielder’s choice to force Olberding at second. Pirkle lined out to Dawson at first to end the inning. Jason McClaflin (Sr., Altoona, Iowa, Southeast Polk H.S.) singled with one out in the seventh. He moved second on a Dawson single. Jones popped out to right. Jesse Reis (Jr., Coon Rapids, Iowa, Coon Rapids-Bayard H.S.) singled to left to plate McClaflin, but Dawson was thrown out trying to advance to third.

Ritchey hit Egdorf with a pitch to start the eighth. Pirkle singled to left. Brock Schneden walked to load the bases. Tim Andrews reached on an infield single which scored Egdorf. Schroeder grounded out short, but Pirkle scored to make it 4-3. Nate Roling came up to pinch hit for Miklo. Roling’s sacrifice fly plated Schneden to tie the game at four. Kuebel grounded out to short to end the inning. Johnson doubled off Lroas reliever Brian Kearns to get the bottom of the eighth underway. Bjork walked. Kinkel-Schuster fouled off strike three in his attempt to sacrifice the runners over. Beau Kaplan (So., Ankeny, Iowa, North Polk H.S.) flew out to left for the second out. Pogge grounded out to first to complete the inning.

Gross led off the top of the ninth with an infield single, he advanced to second on a Storm error. Olberding reached on a Simpson error of his sacrifice bunt. Jared Sass (Jr., Iowa City, City H.S.) came on in relief of Ritchey to face Egdorf. Egdorf hit a grounder to Reis who threw home to Curt Bjork (Jr., Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Mt. Vernon H.S.) who put the tag on Gross for out No. 1. Pirkle doubled to left for the game winning runs. Schneden was hit by a Sass pitch. Tyler Shireman singled to right to score Pirkle and advance Schneden to third. Shireman moved to second on a Sass wild pitch. Schroeder struck out. Nick Teson grounded out to first to end the inning.

McClaflin singled to right to begin the ninth. Dawson grounded into a fielder’s choice which forced McClaflin at second. Jones singled to right to move Dawson up a bag. Reis also grounded into a fielder’s choice, this time Jones was forced at second. Johnson walked to load the bases. Bjork grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the game and the Storm season.

Jones was a home run away from the cycle as he went 3-for-4. Dawson and McClaflin each went 2-for-4.

Loras 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 7 11 1

Simpson 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 11 3

L-Carty, Joniec (5), Kearns (8), and Schroeder. S-Ritchey, Sass (9) and Bjork. W-Kearns (2-0), L-Ritchey (6-2).