PITTSBURG, Kan. – Washburn Baseball fell to Pittsburg State, 5-4, in the second game of a weekend MIAA series on Sunday, March 20. 
 
The Ichabods (11-10, 6-5 MIAA) had seven hits in the game and led briefly after a four-run fifth inning, but were hurt by two errors and eight Gorilla hits in the loss.
 
Mike Hefferan (2-2) took the loss, throwing 4.1 innings with five runs allowed on five hits and four walks.  Jaren Kutzke entered in the fifth and threw 3.0 innings, scattering three hits in a scoreless effort with three strikeouts.  Greg Mason got the final two outs of the eighth inning.
 
Parker Gibson and David Gauntt both went 2-for-4 in the game as Gibson had a double and a walk and Gauntt had two doubles and an RBI.  Lance Barkley was 1-for-2 with two RBI and two walks.
 
Down 3-0 after the fourth, Washburn struck back with a four-spot in the fifth to take a lead, but saw it disappear in the bottom of the inning for good.  With two outs in the fifth, Payton Soicher, Gibson and Riley Krane drew three consecutive walks to load the bases, and after Soicher scored on a wild pitch, Barkley took a pitch back up the middle to score Gibson and Krane to tie it, 3-3.  In the next at-bat, Gauntt doubled into right field to score Barkley from second (where he was after a wild pitch).
 
That was it for the Ichabods, however, as Pitt State had two runs in the next half inning and kept WU off the board the rest of the way.  The Ichabods did put runners in scoring position in the eighth and ninth innings, but couldn't push runs home.
 
Game three of the series is Monday, March 21 at 1 p.m., with the Ichabods looking to secure their third MIAA series win of the season.