TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Washburn Baseball built a three-run lead through the middle innings but couldn't hang on in an 8-7 loss at Northeastern State on Friday, March 4.
Washburn is now 6-6 on the year and 2-2 in the MIAA after dropping the weekend opener. WU will look to win the final two of the three-game series to claim a series victory.
Mike Hefferan got the start, throwing 5.1 innings with six runs allowed (five earned). Hefferan notched six strikeouts and walked two before giving way to
Jacob Head, who closed the sixth inning and allowed just one hit.
Greg Mason (0-1) took the loss, allowing two runs in the seventh off three hits and did not record an out, while
Jaren Kutzke pitched the final two innings with four strikeouts.
Offensive,
Kyle Carnahan led the team with three RBI and two runs scored as one of five Ichabods with hits.
David Gauntt,
Payton Soicher and
Zane Mapes all had one RBI on the day as Mapes and
Lance Barkley had doubles.
Washburn found itself in a 4-0 hole in the third as NSU had three hits in the inning, including a three-run home run, but climbed back to within two (4-2) in the top of the third.
Parker Gibson led off the inning with a single and went all the way to third on a failed pickoff attempt. Later in the inning with one out, Carnahan hit a sacrifice fly to center field that was dropped, racing all the way to third on the error as Gibson scored. In the next at-bat, Gauntt hit a sacrifice fly of his own to plate Carnahan.
WU got one more back in the fourth, scoring
Kasey Clark (who walked with one out) on Mapes' RBI double down the left line.
NSU got back in the scoring column and pushed the Ichabods' deficit back to two (5-3) in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI double, but Washburn scored four to take a 7-5 lead in the sixth as the scoring frenzy continued.
Five straight Ichabods reached to open the inning, as WU had three hits and took advantage of another RiverHawk error.
Riley Krane started the rally with a single to right center before Carnahan blasted his second home run of the season a 1-1 pitch to tie the game at 5-all. Gauntt restarted the Ichabod offense with a walk before advancing to third off Barkley's double to left center, coming home as
Payton Soicher hit a sacrifice fly. The final run came when
Tanner Triggs, who pinch hit for Clark, reached on an error as Barkley sprinted home.
That was it for WU's scoring, however, as the late innings again proved frustrating for the Ichabods as NSU scored a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to take a lead for good.
The series with NSU continues Saturday, March 5 with a 2 p.m., first pitch from Thomas C. Rousey Field as Washburn looks to even things up.
