CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- Upsets marked the first round of the 2013 Iowa Conference Baseball Tournament as No. 5-seed Simpson and No. 6-seed Loras prolonged their stay in the winners bracket with victories.
Game 1 — No. 5 Simpson 10, No. 4 Central 6 — Box Score
Simpson jumped out to a 8-0 lead at the seventh-inning stretch and was looking to run away with the contest before Central clawed back with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut the deficit in half. The Storm plated two runs in the top of the eighth, only to see the Dutch respond with a pair of their own in the bottom of the ninth before Brett Crable was brought in to get the final two outs.
The Storm outslugged the Dutch, 18-9, with six different Simpson players recording a double. Tyler Craig finished 3-for-6 with three RBI while Blake Heitmeier added three hits and a pair of sacrifices. Crable, who started the game in center field, and four other Simpson players recorded two hits.
Seth Carson was the only Central player with multiple hits. He had two.
On the mound, it was pitcher-by-committee with reliever Gage Reis (5-3) picking up the win after two scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout. Central starter Dirk Lindaman (5-4) took the loss for Central, allowing five earned runs on eight hits in just two innings. Reliever Judson McKown matched Lindaman's five earned but spread them over six innings.
Game 2 — No. 6 Loras 9, No. 3 Buena Vista 0 — Box Score
Ben Cottrell threw a complete-game four-hitter, walking three and striking out one as Loras picked up its first Iowa Conference tournament victory since 2008. Center fielder Mark Jablonski was 3-for-5 with two RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs scored to lead a Duhawk offense that pounded out 14 hits. Five Loras players finished with at least two hits -- Jablonski, Mike Pudlo, Niko Andriotis, Eric DeSousa and Justin Montalvo. The Duhawks also had five doubles in the contest, including a pair by Montalvo.
Game 3 — No. 2 Coe 6, No. 6 Loras 3 — Box Score
Coe scored two runs each in the first, sixth and eighth innings, posting a 6-3, come-from-behind victory over Loras. It was the seventh-straight Iowa Conference tournament win for Coe, which has won the last two IIAC Tournaments.
The Kohawks struck for two runs in their opening at-bat courtesy of a Michael Goerdt double to center field that scored Nick Stein and AJ Rueter.
The lead held until the fourth when the Duhawks took advantage of an inning-opening error at shortstop and control issues by Coe starter Wade Morris that resulted in a walk and a hit batter. Niko Andriotis drilled a bases-loaded single through the left side to score a pair and Alex Rodriguez followed it up with an RBI infield single to shortstop to give the Duhawks a 3-2 lead.
Coe regained the lead in the sixth with two runs as Patton Hofer doubled in Reuter to tie the game, then scored when Duhawk third baseman Eric DeSousa bobbled a ball hit by pinch hitter Jory Heckenberg. The Kohawks picked up a pair of insurance runs in the eighth to seal the win.
Aside from the shaky fourth inning when he allowed three runs on two hits, an error and a hit batter, Morris was fairly solid in victory for Coe. He pitched six innings scattering five hits overall and allowing just the three runs. Drew Arends pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five to record his first save of the season.
Will Petrosky took the loss for Loras, pitching seven-plus innings, allowing six runs and scattering five hits.
Game 4 — No. 1 Wartburg 8, No. 5 Simpson 7 — Box Score
Ryan Powers hit an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring Craig Kerper to push Wartburg past Simpson, 8-7, in the Thursday night's final game.
The Knights knocked out 14 hits, including two each from Andrew Krehbiel, Ryan Doty, Powers, Clay Emmrich and Ryan Kemp. Powers finished with a team high three RBIs.
Tyler Crandell led Simpson with a triple and a home run, three RBIs and three runs score. Jake Esdohr, Brett Crable, Michael Chia all had two hits for the Storm.
Play continues Friday with the tournament's first elimination game at 10 a.m. pitting Buena Vista and Central. The winners bracket championship game between Coe and Wartburg follows at 1 p.m. before the day concludes with two more elimination games at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The tournament champion receives the Iowa Conference's automatic berth into the 2013 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
