REDDING, Calif. - The baseball team came into the day tied for first place in the Cal Pac standings with Embry-Riddle and Benedictine.
Simpson has won nine out of the last ten games and came into the day with a share of first place with a 7-1 conference record.
The Eagles scratched across the first run of the game in the top of the first inning as a lead-off triple came around to score on a sacrifice fly to give Embry-Riddle the 1-0 lead.
Winchester worked around some traffic as he stranded two runners to limit the damage.
Simpson regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning as they plated two runs to grab the 2-1 lead.
A one-out single by
Kade Kupihea came around to score on a ringing line drive double into the left-center gap by
Logan Gomes.
Followed by a clutch two-out two-strike single into right-center by
Maximiliano Lopez scored Gomes from second.
Simpson added an insurance run in the sixth inning as a
Micah Kele single came around to score on a clutch two-out single by catcher
Jaxon Hotta to give Simpson the 3-1 lead.
After a shaky first inning, Winchester buckled down and silenced the Eagles bats as he fired five shutout innings before being lifted in favor of
Eddie Avalos in the seventh inning.
Avalos went on to pitch a clean seventh inning as he helped his cause by starting a 1-6-3 inning-ending double play.
Freshman
Brendan Moore came in relief of Avalos in the eighth inning. However, Moore ran into some trouble as the first three batters reached base safely.
Simpson closer,
Nathan Palacioz looked to put out the flame as he inherited a bases loaded no out situation.
A huge defensive play by left fielder
Brady Meeds allowed only one run to score as he robbed a potential game-changing grand slam.
But the Eagles picked up the clutch hit with two outs as a two-run double gave them the 5-3 lead.
The Red Hawks brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings after a single by Meeds in the eighth and a walk to
Dylan Leek in the ninth.
However, the Eagles closer slammed the door and finished off Simpson with a strikeout to end the game.
Micah Kele led the eight-hit Simpson offense with a two-hit game that included a double and a single while also making a couple of nifty defensive plays at shortstop.
Kupihea, Gomes, Lopez, Meeds, Hotta, and
Alex Tolbert each recorded single-hit games.
Winchester took the no-decision as he notched a quality start while firing six innings of one-run baseball while striking out seven batters.
Simpson looks to claim its fifth consecutive series victory tomorrow in a double header that is set to start at noon.
