CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—The No. 21 Wartburg baseball (32-9 overall) defeated Simpson (16-22) 8-7 to advance in the Iowa Conference tournament.
The game was scoreless until the third inning when junior Michael Schinstock (Urbandale) hit a leadoff single to rightfield and freshman Ryan Kemp (Keokuk) drew a walk.
Senior Ryan Doty (Dubuque) unfortunately grounded into a double play, but Schinstock scored to give Wartburg the 1-0 lead.
In a heads up baserunning play, junior Ryan Powers (Wheatland) avoided the tag by Simpson’s first baseman as he ducked under the tag and then slid into first. Kemp scored on the play to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Knights.
In the top of the fifth, the Storm evened the score in the fifth as Tyler Crandell legged out a triple and Jake Esdohr was called safe at first which scored Crandell.
The Orange and Black regained the 4-2 lead in the fifth as Powers drove in Kemp on his RBI single to centerfield and junior Clay Emmrich (Plainfield, Ill.) scored Powers on his double to right centerfield.
In the seventh, the Storm took the 5-4 lead as Blake Heitmeier scored on Ethan Hale’s fielder’s choice and Chia drove in Crandell on his single to centerfield. Josh Pirtle beat the throw to first which scored Hale.
Wartburg answered back in the bottom of the frame as senior Andrew Krehbiel (Donnellson) hit a leadoff double into the left field corner and Doty slugged a stand-up triple to deep right field to knot the score at five all. Powers’ sacrifice fly to centerfield scored Doty to help the Knights regain the lead at 6-5 and sophomore Blake Wilson’s (Bettendorf) hit dropped into shallow centerfield to score senior Drew Yoder (Wellman) to make the score 7-5.
Simpson once again tied the score in the top of the eighth on a two-run shot by Crandell.
Kemp went 2-2, Powers finished 2-3 with three runs scored while Krehbiel and Doty each went 2-5.
Senior Scott Benson (Reinbeck) earned his seventh win on the mound and Schinstock recorded his fourth save.
Wartburg will now face Coe at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
