PELLA—Rallying late in both ends of a doubleheader, the Central College softball team swept Simpson College 5-4 and 6-5 Saturday afternoon.
           
The Dutch (21-6, 8-0 American Rivers Conference) overcame multiple two-run deficits in each game against the Storm (24-12, 7-7 conference).
           
"It's two big wins for us in pretty dramatic fashion," coach George Wares. "To be as good as want to be, we have to win some games without being our best."
           
Central spotted the Storm a two-run lead in both games, forcing them to play from behind early.
           
"It's been our kryptonite," Wares said. "We just can't get out of the first inning without being behind. If we can get some things fixed with the pitching and couple of more things fixed defensively, we can go from being a good team to a really good team."
           
Trailing 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of game, second baseman Haley Bach's (junior, Council Bluffs, Lewis Central HS) single scored left fielder Megan Doty (fifth year, Grinnell) from second. Pinch hitter Emma Lenox (junior, Fremont, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS) connected a few pitches later for her second hit of the season to tie the game at 4-4.
           
After Simpson scored one to retake the lead in the top half of the eighth, Central rallied again as a two-RBI single from designated player Mariah Parton (sophomore, Ankeny) made the Dutch walk off winners.
           
In an eerily spot in game two, Central trailed 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth before back-to-back bases loaded walks knotted the game at 4-4. An Emma Johnson (fifth year, center fielder, Davenport, Assumption HS) RBI single put Central in front for good. Morgan Schaben (fifth year, Portsmouth, Harlan HS) closed the door with a two-out save.
           
Of Central's 18 hits in the doubleheader, 10 came from the last four hitters in the batting order.
           
"We're good offensively from 1-9," Wares said. "We feel like wherever we're starting an inning, we have a chance to put runs on the board."
           
Emma Beck (sophomore, Holland, Grundy Center HS) was the winning pitcher in both games. She recorded all three outs in the eighth inning of the opener before Central walked it off in the bottom half of the inning. She yielded four earned runs on four strikeouts and two walks in 6.1 innings as the game two starter. Sydni Huisman (fifth year, Treynor) started the first game and went 4.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks with a pair of strikeouts.
           
The Dutch travel to Luther College on Tuesday for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.