INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Loras College baseball team (18-9 overall, 7-4 American Rivers) split its Saturday doubleheader against the Simpson College Storm (13-17, 6-9), falling 5-4 in game one before rallying back to an 8-2 win in game two.
 
Game One
The Duhawks produced nine hits and scored the game's first two runs, but ultimately couldn't hang on to a late lead as the Storm walked off with a 5-4 win.

Nick DiBenedetto and Jack Careny tied for the team lead with two hits apiece. Carney led the way with two RBIs, followed by DiBenedetto with one. Carney, DiBenedetto, Trevor Segraves, and Vince Polizzi each scored a run.

The Purple and Gold struck first at the top of the first inning when DiBenedetto singled to right, scoring Segraves. Loras added on to its early lead in the second off a wild pitch from Simpson, scoring Polizzi from third.

The Storm responded in the bottom half of the third off an RBI single to third base to make it a 2-1 game.

Carney pushed Loras' lead back to two in the sixth inning after he singled to center field, scoring DiBenedetto for an RBI. The 3-1 lead didn't last long, however, as Simpson scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to knot things up at 3-all.

After a scoreless seventh inning, Carney hit a solo homer to put Loras back on top, 4-3. Simpson ended the game with a two-RBI single to left center, winning it 5-4.

Austin Sheldon got the starting nod for Loras and pitched seven innings with six strikeouts. Daniel Giusto saw action over the remainder of the game, striking out three out of the five batters he faced.
 
Game Two
The second game saw Loras race out to an early 1-0 lead in the first after Daniel Rogers' double down the right field line scored Segraves. Simpson scored an equalizing run in the second inning after a single through the left side brought home one.

The Duhawks retook the lead in the third when Segraves singled through the right side, scoring Carney and Jake Olszewski to push the Purple and Gold up 3-1. Loras tacked on a run in the fourth inning after Alex Sandoval tripled to left center, scoring Diego Huerta.

Simpson scored its final run of the day in the fifth inning off a balk from freshman pitcher Vincent Costantino.

Leading it 4-2 in the sixth, Rogers cracked a three-RBI triple down the right field line, scoring Segraves, Carney, and Vince McDowell to push Loras in front, 7-2. The Duhawks added one final run in the eighth when Rogers collected his fifth RBI of the day off a ground-rule double, cementing the Duhawks' 8-2 win.

Rogers put together an offensive masterpiece at the plate in the second game by going 4-for-4. Segraves was next in hits for the team, going 2-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Constantino picked up his third win of the season, pitching six strong innings with three strikeouts. Adam Willamson pitched the final three frames, keeping the Storm scoreless while striking out four.

UP NEXT
The Purple and Gold will return to the diamond on Monday, April 15 when the program heads across town to face the University of Dubuque. Action from Dan W. Runkle Baseball Field gets underway at 3 p.m.