TOPEKA, Kan. – No. 27 Washburn Baseball picked up its 30th win of the season in 8-6 fashion over Central Oklahoma on Friday, April 29 at Falley Field.
 
WU (30-15, 25-10 MIAA) knotted up the series with UCO after dropping the first contest in yesterday's game.  The Ichabods outhit UCO, 13-8, on the day and struck out six Broncho batters.
 
Mike Hefferan threw the first 4.2 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks.  Hefferan struck out two before exiting as Greg Mason (4-2) entered and earned the win in a relief effort, finishing with 4.1 innings thrown, two runs allowed and four strikeouts.
 
Payton Soicher launched home run No. 10 on the season (scoring the eventual winning run), and five Ichabods – Riley Krane, Kyle Carnahan, Lance Barkley (two RBI), Tanner Triggs (double) and Zane Mapes – had two hits. 
 
The teams swapped runs through the first two innings, tied 2-2 headed for the third before WU took a 4-2 lead.  In the third, Washburn came up with four hits, starting with back-to-back singles from Carnahan and David Gauntt put runners on the corners with one out.  From there, Barkley poked a single through the left side to score Carnahan, and Triggs followed with a double down the left field line to plate Gauntt.
 
UCO climbed back to being even with a run in the fourth and fifth innings, but the Bods took the lead for good with a run in the sixth.  Soicher drew a leadoff walk and raced to third as Mapes singled into left field.   In the next at-bat, Parker Gibson dropped a bunt down the first base line as the ball stayed just fair for RBI infield single. 
 
In the seventh, WU pushed its advantage to three off Soicher's two-run shot down the right field line.  Earlier in the inning, Triggs singled before Cole Garnder pinch ran at first base and promptly stole second before Soicher's blast, making it 7-4.
 
UCO struck back with two more in the eighth to make it a one-run game, but heads up base running in the eighth gave WU a two-run lead.  Gibson walked to open the eighth and stole second before moving to third on an overthrow.  Later in the inning, a passed ball skirted away from UCO's catcher and Gibson raced home, beating the tag at the plate.
 
Mason closed things with a three up, three down inning, ending the game with a strikeout.
 
The series concludes on Saturday, April 30 with a 1 p.m., game from Falley Field, weather pending.  Stay tuned to www.wusports.com or follow @wusports on twitter for updates.