Softball sweeps No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan on Opening Day

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - Behind a complete game from Emma LaFave in the opener and two home runs from Gracie Bruening in the second game, No. 21 Simpson secured a doubleheader sweep over No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan on Opening Day.

Simpson (2-0) won game one 4-1 and game two 6-4.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS

• Ill. Wesleyan (1-3) scored its lone run of the game in the first inning on an RBI single up the middle but two quick groundouts ended the inning.
• Simpson struck back quickly as Megan Heidelbauer drove in her first run of the year, scoring Ashlyn Steen on a single up the middle.
• After an Illinois Wesleyan error, Katie Shaner drove in Heidelbauer with an RBI single, and later in the inning, Mackenzie James scored on a double steal to put Simpson up 3-1 after one.
• In the third, an RBI groundout from Shaner once again brought in Heidelbauer to extend the Storm's lead to 4-1.
• Emma LaFave did not need much to work with, after allowing the opening run, LaFave shut down the Illinois Wesleyan bats, allowing just four hits but no more runs over the next six innings.

GAME ONE LEADERS

• Emma LaFave - 7 IP, CG, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Megan Heidelbauer - 2-for-3, 2 H, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB
• Katie Shaner - 1-for-3, 2 RBI

GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS

• Simpson once again struck in the opening frame, this time on an RBI single from Mackenzie James, plating Ashlyn Steen for the 1-0 lead.
• Gracie Bruening broke open the game in the third inning with a three-run blast, scoring both James and Katie Shaner to put Simpson up 4-0.
• Illinois Wesleyan jumped onto the scoreboard in the fourth inning, scoring three runs over the frame to cut the lead down to a single run.
• The Storm responded right back in the next half inning as Bruening went deep again, this time a solo shot to extend the lead back to two.
• Simpson added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a two-out bases loaded walk from Caelynn Obleton but the Storm quickly wrapped up the sweep with a 6-4 win.

GAME TWO LEADERS

• Gracie Bruening - 2-for-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
• Katie Shaner - 2-for-4, 1 R
• Alyssa Breckner - 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 K
• Marina Cronin - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, SV

UP NEXT
Simpson wraps up the four-game road trip with a doubleheader tomorrow, Sunday, March 1 with a 11:30 am game against host school Wis.-Eau Claire before finishing with a game against St. Catherine at 4:30 pm.