TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn Baseball opened its four-game homestand with a 5-4 comeback win over William Jewell on Wednesday, March 9 at Falley Field.
 
The Ichabods (8-7) had 11 hits as a team in the team and came through in the clutch consistently on the defensive end, stranding 12 Cardinals on base throughout the game.
 
Greg Mason (1-1) had the win in a relief role, pitching two innings and allowing just two hits with two strikeouts.  Lance Barkley had his first save of the season with a three up, three down shutout performance in the ninth. 
 
Maustin Otterstatter started the game, throwing three innings with three runs allowed and two strikeouts before giving way to Josh Ramirez, who also finished with three full innings pitched while allowing one run with two strikeouts.
 
Zane Mapes and Kyle Carnahan were the Ichabods' offensive leaders for the day as Mapes was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, and Carnahan finished 2-for-3 with a home run.  Lance Barkley and Wes Jones also had doubles for the Ichabods while David Gauntt went 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI.
 
WU found itself in an early 2-0 deficit after a home run in the top of the first, but the Ichabods got one back in the bottom half when Carnahan blasted a 2-0 pitch over the left center field fence for his third of the season.
 
A bases loaded jam had WU facing trouble in the second, but the Cardinals scored just one and WU struck back with two of its own in the second to tie it, 3-3.  Tanner Triggs started the inning with a hard single up the middle, coming all the way to third when Jones hit a double that sailed over the left fielder's head.  In the next at-bat, Mapes roped a double of his own into left field to plate both Ichabods on base.
 
Down 4-3 after William Jewell scored one in the fourth, Washburn re-tied things in the sixth thanks to two doubles in the inning. Barkley stroked one to right center to start the inning, and after moving to second as Jones earned a walk, coming around to score as Mapes hit his second two-bagger of the day, finding grass in right center for another RBI (his third of the game).
 
Washburn took the lead for good in the seventh, taking advantage of two hits and a passed ball in the inning.  Parker Gibson led off with a single up the middle, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt before taking third on a passed ball with Gauntt at the plate.  Facing a full count, Gauntt came through in the clutch and poked a single through the middle to put WU in the lead, scoring Gibson.
 
Mason threw a scoreless eighth as part of his winning effort and Barkley faced the minimum in the ninth for his first career save.
 
Washburn begins a three-game weekend series against Northwest Missouri on Thursday, March 10 at 5 p.m.  The series was shifted up one day due to weather forecasted for the area, and will now run Thursday through Saturday.  Stay tuned to www.wusports.com and follow the Ichabods on Twitter (@wusports) for schedule updates throughout the weekend and the remainder of the season.