TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn baseball team scored eight unanswered runs to take the series opener over Rogers State on Saturday afternoon, 8-3. The series wraps up tomorrow (Sunday) with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
The Hillcats (12-14, 913 MIAA) hit a solo home run in the second inning and then pushed their lead to 3-0 on an RBI single up the middle that scored two in the top of the fourth.
Brett Ingram got things going for the Ichabods (11-17, 10-12 MIAA) in the home half of the fourth with a single to right field. Down in the count 0-2,
Zion Bowlin ripped a triple to deep right center to score Ingram.
Peter Shearer followed that up with an RBI double on the first pitch of his at bat. A groundout moved Shearer up to third and then he scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
Bowlin led off the sixth with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Kros Bay's single to right center drove in Bowlin for the go-ahead run.
The Ichabods added four insurance runs in the seventh to go up 8-3. Entering the game as a pinch hitter,
Carson Sader hit a leadoff single to right and reached third after a ground out and a fly out. Ingram hit his second single of the afternoon to right field to easily score Sader. Bowlin drew a walk and then the bases were cleared when Shearer hit a three-run homer over the fence in right field.
Braden Minor came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning and retired all six batters he faced to close out the win for Washburn.
Zach Philbin earned the win for the Ichabods and improved his record to 2-0. He entered the game with two outs in the fourth inning with runners on second and third and ended the inning with a strikeout. He worked 2.1 scoreless innings and allowed just one single while striking out three.
Trevor Marreel worked a clean seventh inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced. Minor recorded three strikeouts in his two innings.
Bowlin finished his day at the plate 2-3 with one walk, one RBI, and scored three runs. Ingram also went 2-3 and scored twice and drove in one run. Shearer went 2-4 and had four RBI after his double and fifth home run of the season.
