TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn scored five runs in the third and held off a late charge to defeat Missouri Southern, 9-6, in game two of the weekend series on Friday, March 25.
Washburn improved to 14-11 on the year and 9-6 in the MIAA while Missouri Southern dropped to 18-7 and 8-7 in conference play.
Mike Hefferan (3-2) tossed six innings in a win, allowing four runs off five hits and six walks while striking out three.
Greg Mason allowed one run over the next two innings before
Jaren Kutzke tossed the eighth and ninth to wrap up the win.
Riley Krane was a perfect 4-for-4 on the evening with a walk and two runs scored to lead the Ichabods while
Bowe Behymer went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Lance Barkley also had two hits while the Ichabods combined for 12 total hits.
MSSU took advantage of a patient plate approach in the second, drawing three consecutive two-out walks before a two-RBI put them ahead, 3-0. WU, though, struck back with five in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Krane drew a walk before moving to third as
Kyle Carnahan ripped a double into the left field corner.
David Gauntt put the Ichabods on the board as his single to left just cleared an outstretched glove of MSSU's shortstop, allowing Krane and Carnahan to race home and cut the deficit to one (3-2).
Later in the inning with Gauntt on second,
Tanner Triggs and
Zane Mapes worked back-to-back walks to load the bases and
Payton Soicher picked up an RBI by earning a walk of his one off a full-count. Tied up,
Bowe Behymer laced a single up the middle in the next at-bat, driving in Triggs and Mapes to give WU a 5-3 lead.
WU extended its lead in the fourth as Krane came home for his second run of the day off of
Lance Barkley's single through the left side. Krane reached in the inning with a leadoff single and took second off a groundout. After Gauntt's walk, Barkley poked a 1-0 pitch into left for his second hit of the day.
The Ichabods tacked on two more in the fifth, going up 8-3 on the Lions. Mapes was hit by a pitch to start the inning and took second on a sacrifice bunt before coming around to score off Gibson's single into right center. From there, Gibson stole second, moved to third on a throwing error on the play and continued his heads-up baserunning to come home on a wild pitch.
MSSU got one run back in the sixth and seventh innings to cut the deficit to three (8-5), but WU soon put it back at four with a run in the bottom of the eighth. Triggs drew a leadoff walk in the inning, and after
Cole Gardner pinch ran at first, a sacrifice bunt from Mapes put an Ichabod on second with just one out. Later in the inning with two outs, Behymer picked up his third RBI of the day with a single to plate Gardner.
The ninth inning saw MSSU get one run, but Kutzke got a strikeout to end the game and seal the series victory after taking the first game, 11-3, on Thursday. The series concludes on Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m., for Steve Anson day with the first 125 fans receiving a free tshirt.
