TOPEKA, Kan. – The Ichabod baseball team's three-game series with Northwest Missouri State opened with an extra innings 12-10 loss on Thursday, March 10.
 
WU (7-7, 3-4 MIAA) had seven hits in the game but were tagged for 15 Bearcat hits.  The game also saw NWMSU commit four errors and WU hurt by three errors.
 
Dan Gabler threw 4.2 innings in the start, striking out two while giving up four runs (two earned) before Jaren Kutzke (who threw 1.1 innings with one run allowed) entered in the fifth. 
 
Zach Linquist allowed three runs and recorded one out in the seventh to give way to Greg Mason, who threw the next 1.2 innings and was responsible for two runs and two strikeouts.  The loss went to Lance Barkley (0-1), as the relief pitcher tossed three innings with two runs allowed (zero earned).
 
Offensively, Barkley was 3-for-5 with two RBI and a walk and Wes Jones went 2-for-5 with three RBI.  David Gauntt drew three walks on the day and Washburn as a team earned 16 free passes (four hit-by-pitch, 12 walks).

The Ichabods swiped a school record nine bases in the game, breaking the previous mark of eight that was set at Missouri Rolla on April 2, 2004.
 
Scoreless through the first, Washburn took a 2-0 lead in the second behind two hits, a walk and a NWMSU error. Gauntt drew a walk to start the inning and moved to second when Barkley laced a single back up the middle.  A sacrifice bunt from Tanner Triggs pushed both runners up 90 feet into scoring position and Wes Jones roped a two-RBI single into right center to plate Gauntt and Barkley.
 
The Bearcats took the lead with three runs in their half of the third, but a two-out rally in the top of the fourth helped WU regain a 4-3 lead.  With two gone, Carnahan was hit by a pitch for a free pass and stole second before Gauntt drew his second walk of the day.  Barkley then stroked a 2-2 pitch through the right side into the outfield for an RBI single to score Carnahan and push Gauntt to third.  The throw to the plate, however, skipped past the Bearcat catcher and heads up base running from Gauntt gave the Ichabods back the lead.
 
Tied up at 4-4 after NWMSU scored in the top of fifth, WU again took back the lead with three runs thanks to two hits and two errors.  Riley Krane reached on a throwing error to open the inning before racing around to score when Gibson ripped a double down the left field line.  In the next at-bat, Gibson coaxed a throw down to second that skipped into center field on a failed pickoff attempt and came all the way around for WU's second run of the inning. 
 
With the bases empty, Carnahan continued to rally with a walk, swiping his second bag of the game before Gauntt drew his third free pass on the night.  During Barkley's at-bat, a double steal put Carnahan on third and Gauntt on second before the Ichabods' first baseman singled through the right side to push Carnahan home, closing the scoring for WU in the inning as Gauntt was thrown out at the plate trying to score.
 
Another Bearcat run in the sixth made it a two-run game once again (7-5), but heads up base running by Payton Soicher helped WU bring the lead back to three (8-5) in the bottom half.  Soicher worked a full-count walk and stole second, taking third as Krane had a ground out to the right side.  A wild pitch during Gibson's at-bat skipped to the backstop and Soicher then scampered home.
 
A five-run rally for the Bearcats in the top of seven put the visitor's ahead by two (10-8) late in the game, but WU struck back with a run in the seventh and eighth innings to tie it back up, 10-all. 
 
The seventh inning run came as Jones picked up an RBI to score Barkley (who reached early with a walk and stole third).  In the eighth, Gibson reached on a fielder's choice and with two outs, stole second before Carnahan's single into right tied things as Gibson crossed home.
 
WU loaded the bases in the 10th, but couldn't push a run home and two across for the Bearcats in the 11th won it after the Ichabods failed to extend the game in the bottom half.
 
Thursday's contest lasted four hours and seven minutes and is the second longest game in WU baseball history.
 
The series continues Friday, March 11 with a 5 p.m., first pitch from Falley Field.