•  The Washburn Ichabod softball team returns to action on Tuesday at the Washburn Softball Complex when they will play host to Northeastern State returning to MIAA play after splitting a non-conference doubleheader with Emporia state on March 12.
•  Washburn (8-9, 3-3 MIAA) split a four-game series with Emporia State last weekend winning the second game each day against the Hornets.•  Sophomore Cassidy Merriman leads the team with 14 runs scored and a .400 batting average … her 19 RBI is also tops on the team and her 22 hits are first as well … this season she has seven multi-RBI games and has reached base in each of the last 15 games.
•  Freshman Ashley Ruder is batting .394 with 13 hits in 11 games played.
•  Senior Taylor Zimmerman has 18 hits this season and a team-high seven home runs … she was named the NFCA National Player of the Week following the weekend games with Lindenwood and Lincoln.
•  Freshman Erin Keeney is batting .350 with 21 hits while recording 12 RBI and 12 runs scored … Keeney leads the team with eight multi-hit games.
•  Sophomore Cassidy Merriman leads the team with 15 RBI … she also carries an 11-game hitting streak into this weekend and leads the team with six multi-RBI games … the next closest Ichabod has two …she also has reached base in 11-straight games.
•  Senior Marina Quimby is third on the team with 19 hits.
•  Junior pitcher Samantha Carson leads the team with a 5-3 record and a 2.44 earned run average in 57 1/3 innings pitched … in relief she has pitched 10 1/3 innings with a 0.68 earned run average striking out five allowing only one earned run.
•  In the walkoff grand slam against Emporia State by Lacie Myers, it was the first walkoff grandslam by an Ichabod since Bre Hixon hit one against Missouri Western on March 7, 2014.Northeastern State
•  The RiverHawks are 15-12 this season and 3-5 in the MIAA.
•  Kelsey Harmon leads the team with a .361 batting average adding 10 doubles.
•  Kayce Wooldridge has 10 wins with a 1.16 ERA pitching 103 innings striking out 82 while walking only 20.
•  Washburn leads the series 12-10 and have won the last three games including a doubleheader sweep last season .
  • Haylee Marsteller went over the 100-hit mark at the Winona State Dome Classic … she now has 113 for her career … her 56 career walks are eighth on the Ichabod career chart.
•  Marina Quimby needs 10 runs for 100 for her career and went over the 150 hit mark against Lincoln.
•  Taylor Zimmerman's 17 career home runs are 12th at Washburn and Cassidy Merriman's 16 home runs are 15th.
 TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Washburn Ichabods used two home runs including a walkoff grandslam by Lacie Myers as Washburn drew a series split with Emporia State falling 7-4 in the opener before winning game two 7-5.
Game 1 - Emporia State 7, Washburn 4
The Ichabods took an early 4-0 lead after Erin Keeney connected on an RBI triple down the right field and would later score on a wild pitch by the Hornets in the bottom of the first. In the second inning, Washburn added three more on a 3-run home run by Cassidy Merriman scoring Ashley Ruder, Lexie Myers.
No one would score until the fourth inning when the Hornets added a solo run and then took the lead with five runs in the sixth inning before adding another in the seventh taking the 7-4 win.
Merriman, Sierra Kemp, and Lacie Myers each had two hits in the game and Merriman drove in three runs for the Ichabods (7-9).
Marina Quimby struck out three in her first pitching appearance of the season.
Game 2 - Washburn 7, Emporia State 5
Lacie Myers hit the first two home runs of her collegiate career including a walkoff grandslam with two outs as the Ichabods scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh of in the 7-5 win.
Washburn went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning when Sierra Kemp doubled to left scoring Cassidy Merriman and then Myers first home run of the day came on a solo shot in the second inning putting Washburn up 2-0. The Ichabods added a third run in the third inning when Kemp doubled again scoring Merriman as Washburn went up 3-0.
Emporia State scored two in the fourth inning and added solo runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings taking a 5-3 lead.
In the seventh, Merriman doubled to right to lead off the inning and then Megan Stegman walked. After an Ichabod pop out, Kemp reached after being hit by a pitch loading the bases. Marina Quimby reached on a fielders choice and then with two outs, Myers took a 2-2 pitch over the left center fence for the game-winner.
Myers finished with 5 RBI on the day and Kemp drove in two.
Samantha Carson picked up the win in relief pitching two innings giving up an earned run improving to 5-3.
 • was named the Washburn Ichabod head softball coach on Aug. 3, 2011 after spending four seasons at Metro State in Denver, Colo., with the final season coming as the head coach.
• is 87-113 in her fifth season on the bench at Washburn and overall Becerra has recorded a 121-131 mark in her sixth year as a head coach.
• in her lone season as the head coach at Metro State, Becerra led the Roadrunners the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season championship while advancing to the NCAA regional tournament for the third-straight season finishing with a 34-18 record.
• has coached 20 Ichabods to all-MIAA honors.
• has had 54 Ichabods named to the MIAA's Academic Honor Roll.
 • The Ichabods are 1102-818-1 in their 47th year of softball.
• The Ichabods have made three NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2006, 2008).
• Washburn won the 2002 regular season MIAA title.•  The Ichabods will play six games at the Missouri Western Apple Market Crossover facing six Northern Sun Conference schools. Washburn will then have a non-conference doubleheader at Newman on March 22 and return to MIAA play at Missouri Southern on March 25 and at Pittsburg State on March 26 before returning home on April 1 with Central Missouri and April 2 hosting Southwest Baptist.