JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Washburn baseball team improved to 6-4 on the season after a 9-6 triumph over McKendree on Saturday. The Ichabods will continue play at the MIAA/GLVC tomorrow (Feb. 16) morning at 10 a.m. as they take on Maryville.
The Bearcats (0-2) wasted little time scoring as they hit a triple and then scored on a two out single through the left side to go up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Things looked promising for Washburn In the bottom half of the inning when McKendree's starter struggled with control and walked the first three Ichabods to load the bases. He escaped the inning unharmed, though, with a strikeout and a double play.
The Bearcats added three more runs with one swing of the bat to go up 4-0 in the second inning.
After the first two innings, Washburn starter
Jacob Head settled in and struck out six and allowed just three singles over the next three frames.
The Ichabod offense came alive in the third starting with a triple by
Xavier De Leon to lead off the inning.
Eric Hinostroza knocked De Leon home with an RBI single and then scored when
Parker Dunn hammered the first pitch he saw over the fence in right center field to cut McKendree's lead to one, 4-3.
Washburn added three more runs in the fourth to take the 6-4 lead.
Kros Bay led off the inning with a double and then scored when
Wyatt Featherston followed up with a double of his own. Featherston advanced to third on a ground out and scored when Hinostroza reached first on a throwing error. The error allowed Hinostroza to move up to second and then he added a run on
Zion Bowlin's two base hit, the third double of the inning.
In the fifth inning,
Mark Wanner tripled down the left field line and scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Bay to make it a 7-4 game.
Both teams were held scoreless for the next two innings until both teams added two runs in the eighth. Offensively, the Bearcats started the inning with two hit by pitches and then a walk to load the bases.
Dalton Huggins came on in relief and got two quick outs, but a single to right field scored two and trimmed Washburn's lead to 7-6. The inning ended when the McKendree runner was thrown out advancing to third on the single.
In the bottom half of the eighth, Dunn hit a one out double and then
Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli recorded his first home run in a Washburn uniform to add two insurance runs for the Ichabods.
Huggins stayed in to close out the contest and the game ended on a 6-4-3 double play.
The Ichabods finished the game with nine total hits from eight different players. Dunn went 2-4 and collected two RBI off his fourth homer of the year. Hinostroza scored two runs and drove in one as well.
On the mound, Head earned his third-straight win going five full innings and giving up four runs on seven hits with four walks and striking out career-high nine batters. Huggins picked up his third save of the year, throwing two innings and surrendering just one hit.
