LINCOLN, Neb. – Riley Ward threw eight strong innings and drove in two runs at the plate to lead Nebraska Wesleyan to a 7-3 victory over Simpson College in game one of an American Rivers Conference baseball doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon (April 2) at NWU Field in Lincoln.  Simpson came back to win game two, 14-2 in seven innings.
 
With the win in game one, the Prairie Wolves snapped their five game conference losing streak.  NWU now sits at 4-16 overall and 2-6 in conference play having played five league games over the last three days.  Simpson moves to 11-6 and 3-2 in conference play after the split.
 
NWU got on the board early to set the tone in game one.  Spencer Scheer singled then scored on a triple by Tyler Winterstein to the right center gap.  Winterstein would score on the first of two RBI singles by Ward.
 
The Prairie Wolves added two more runs in the bottom of the 4^th inning.  Kaleb Knox started the inning with aa single and Jackson Cummins also singled putting runners on 1^st and 3^rd with one out.  Aaron Nichols executed the squeeze bunt to drive in Knox.  Scheer connected on an RBI single to drive in Cummins making the score 4-0.
 
Ward was in control on the mound holding the Storm scoreless the first five innings.  Simpson finally got on the board with one run in the top of the 6^th.  NWU responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 7^th inning.  Ward and Knox each had RBI singles and Brook Johnson was able to score on an error by the Simpson catcher on a double steal attempt.
 
Simpson did score two runs in the top of the 8^th inning, but that was all they would get.
 
Riley Ward went 8.0 innings allowing three earned runs on eight hits.  He struck out three and walked only one.  Scheer led the NWU offense by going 3-5 with an RBI.  Ward and Knox each had two hits and eight of the nine Prairie Wolves starters recorded hits.
 
Game two was dominated by Simpson as they scored in every inning including seven in the first two innings.  The Storm finished with 10 total hits including five extra base hits.
 
The Prairie Wolves managed only five hits, committed three errors and scored two runs.  NWU pitchers walked seven and hit three batters.
 
Daniel Hundley took the loss on the mound allowing six earned runs and seven hits in a 1 2/3 innings. 
 
Riley Ward went 2-3 and drove in both NWU runs to lead the Prairie Wolves offense.
 
NWU is scheduled to play at Hastings College on Wednesday, the fourth straight day the Prairie Wolves will take the field.