PELLA, Iowa-- The Wartburg softball team (26-11 overall) narrowly fell 7-6 to Simpson (21-18) in the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament Friday.

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The Storm took the early 2-0 lead in their first trip to the plate as they capitalized on two errors.

In the bottom of the frame, freshman Jenna Levine (DeKalb, Ill.) drove in classmate Sydney Illg (Grimes) to make it a one-run game. Freshman Olivia Brecht (Center Point) launched one over the fence in left center field to give the Knights the 3-2 lead.

Freshman Grace Petersen (Joliet, Ill.) hit her first collegiate homer in the second to make it 4-2.

In the bottom of the third, pinch runner freshman Haley Barkau (Denver) crossed the plate to extend the lead to 5-2.

Simpson tallied one in the next two innings to make it 5-4. A sac fly from Levine in the fifth brought the score to 6-4.

The Storm made it a one-run game once more in the sixth on an RBI double and had the go-ahead run in the seventh on a two-run home run.

The Orange and Black were retired in order to quiet a rally attempt.

Brecht went 2-4 with two RBIs and senior Kailee O'Brien (Altoona) was also 2-3. Sophmore Maddie Rog (Norrdige, Ill.) pitched the complete game and struck out three.