STORM LAKE - The Buena Vista softball team needed a sweep of visiting Simpson College on Sunday afternoon to keep any hopes of a conference tournament berth alive, but the Storm connected on five home runs to defeat the Beavers in the opener, 6-2. BVU did bounce back in the nightcap and ended the season on a strong note with a 7-3 victory.

Simpson hit a solo homerun on the sixth pitch of the game for an early 1-0 lead before Brook Linderman roped a double into the gap in left center in the home half for a 2-1 Beaver lead.

The power by the Storm was just getting going , as they went on to blast a solo shot and a two-run home run in the third to buil a 4-2 advantage.  A pair of solo home runs in the fifth inning pushed the cushion to 6-2, and that proved to be more than enough for Simpson, as BVU managed just three hits after the first inning.

Freshman Kayden Archibeque went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Beavers as the team finished with six hits overall.  Simpson had nine hits in the contest with six going for extra bases.

Marissa Promes suffered the loss after pitching only 2.2 innings.  She was charged with four runs on five hits, three of which were home runs.  Ashtyn Miller came on to close the game out for BVU and allowed two runs and four hits, despite striking out four.

Michaela Mason came through with a big two-run homerun over the fence in center for the go-ahead runs in the fifth inning.  Archibeque drove home a run in the sixth before Kate Lesmeister drew a bases loaded walk to give the Beavers a pair of big insurance runs.

Peyton Gross, who relieved Marissa Promes in the fifth inning, struck out the side in the seventh to give BVU its fifth win in seven games to close out the season.  Gross recorded six strikeouts in her 2.2 innings of work while allowing just two hits.  Promes recorded seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings and was charged with three runs and three hits in what was her final career outing.

Ida Rogers-Ferguson had her first two career doubles in the contest to help spark BVU offensively, as she also drove in her second career run and scored once.  Lesmeister had one hit and two RBI as she finishes the season with a team-high 27.  BVU out-hit the Storm 9-5 overall.

Aside from Promes, the game was also the final one in the career of Taylor Frain.  The duo was recognized between game as part of the Senior Day festivities.  

Buena Vista finishes the season at 19-17 overall and 5-11 in conference play.  The win was also the 98th career victory for head coach Mandie Berneking.