CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- Three teams are left standing following an exciting second day at the 2013 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Baseball Tournament. Wartburg topped Coe, 5-4, to advance out of the winner's bracket, while Simpson brought Central's tournament run to a screeching halt in the nightcap.
Box Scores: Central/Buena Vista | Wartburg/Coe | Central/Loras | Central/Simpson
Game 5 --- Central 11, Buena Vista 4
Central started its trek through the consolation side of the bracket with an 11-4 win over Buena Vista in the day's opening game.
Ryan Goetzinger (3-2) threw a complete game for the Dutch scattering four runs (two earned) on 11 hits while striking out six.
Adam Ariola had only one hit, but drove in a team-high three runs --- one on a sacrifice fly in the third inning, the others on a double to right center in Central's 6-run fifth. Seth Carson added three hits.
Buena Vista totaled 11 hits against Goetzinger, three by catcher/left fielder Brandon Wessels, who also drove in a run.
Game 6 --- Wartburg 5, Coe 4
Wartburg scored five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit and weathered numerous Coe attempts in the final three innings to hold on and advance to the tournament championship game with a 5-4 victory.
The Knights, the league's top defensive team during the regular season, had an uncharacteristic five errors and were outhit by Coe, 9-8, in the contest.
Substitute Joe Grote, who entered the game in the fourth inning for an injured Ryan Powers, sparked Wartburg, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. He was the only Knight with multplie hits. Ben Rettenmeier (8-1) went eight innings, scattering nine hits and striking out five to get the win. Michael Schinstock came in from right field to pitch a scoreless ninth and get the save.
Designated hitter/pitcher AJ Reuter had two hits and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and an inherited runner to score.
Game 7 --- Central 3, Loras 0
Central got seven strong innings out of Ryan Dusil, who scattered seven hits and walked three while striking out five. Seth Carson and Jace Ahrendsen each had two hits for the Dutch, who scored in the first, second and fourth innings and held Loras off the scoreboard. Judson McKown pitched the eighth and ninth innings to score his eighth save.
Mike Canevello had three hits for Loras, which finished at 19-21 overall.
Game 8 --- Simpson 9, Central 0
With two long outings from starters earlier in the day, it was pitcher-by-committee for Central in the final game of the day. Simpson roughed up Dutch starter Robbie Rushing to the tune of four runs in the second inning then added five more off the arm of Andy Carr in the fourth.
Brett Crable had three of Simpson's 13 hits, driving in two on an RBI groundout in the second and a single up the middle in the fourth. Jake Bahr and Tyler Craig each had two hits, while Jake Esdohr capped the night with a bases-clearing double down the left-field line in the fifth.
Sam Stetzel, Seth Carson, Andrew O'Toole and Spencer Gritsch all had hits for the Dutch, who finished at 22-19.
Jake Sciezinski pitched eight innings of scoreless relief to get the win for Simpson, walking one and striking out four.
Simpson (18-22) will face Coe (27-13) at 10 a.m. Saturday in an elimination game. The winner meets Wartburg (33-9) in the tournament championship game at 1 p.m. If a second championship game is necessary, it will begin at approximately 4 p.m. The tournament champion receives the Iowa Conference's automatic berth into the 2013 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
