TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn baseball opened its home schedule with a 5-3 win over Northern State before falling 5-2 in the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday. The Ichabods will wrap up the four-game series against the Wolves on Monday with first pitch at Falley Field set for noon.
GAME 1 (Washburn 5, Northern State 3)
Cal Watkins got the bottom of the first started with a leadoff walk and then stole second to get into scoring position.
Parker Dunn gave the Ichabods a quick 1-0 lead in the game with an RBI double to right center.
Washburn pushed its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth when
Cale Savage emptied the bases with a three-run homer over the wall in left field.
Brett Ingram hit his second home run in as many days in the bottom of the fifth as he recorded the solo home run with two outs to put Washburn up, 5-0.
Northern State spoiled the shutout in the eighth inning, scoring three runs on two hits and an error to cut Washburn's lead to 5-3.
The Wolves made one final push in the ninth inning and had runners on first and second with no outs to start the frame, but a 6-4-3 double play and then a groundout ended the game.
The Ichabods landed nine hits in the game with two home runs and five doubles.
Kros Bay hit a pair of doubles and was 2-3 at the plate and scored once.
Easton Bruce also recorded two hits and scored a run.
Washburn starter
Casey Steward earned the win after tossing five scoreless innings and allowed three hits, four walks, and struck out four.
Zach Philbin threw two innings in relief and allowed just one single and had three strikeouts.
Joel Casillas closed out the ninth and got his second save of the season.
GAME 2 (Northern State 5, Washburn 2)
Northern State's (2-4) bats came alive in the second game and started things off with a leadoff single up the middle and then later came around to score the first run of the game on another single.
Leading off the third inning, Savage singled to left center and then moved up to third base when Watkins reached on a throwing error.
Connor Scott's sacrifice fly scored the tying run and then
Zion Bowlin came through with a single up the middle to put the Ichabods on top, 2-1.
That score remained until the top of the sixth inning, when the Wolves hit a two-run home run to retake the lead, 3-2.
NSU tacked on two more runs on three hits and an error in the eighth to go up, 5-2.
In the bottom of the ninth, Savage reached base as the leadoff hitter of an inning for the third time in the game as he recorded a single to left, but he was left stranded on first when the next three batters were retired.
Savage finished the game 2-3 at the plate with a walk and run scored. Ingram also had two hits.
Jack Brimacombe was tabbed with the loss, going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs on six hits and five walks to go with four strikeouts.
