EMPORIA, Kan. – Washburn baseball hit a pair of doubles in the top of the ninth to take its first lead of the game and then closed it out with a double play to capture the come-from-behind 2-1 win at Emporia State. The Ichabods are scheduled to play at Northwest Missouri for a non-conference game on Tuesday afternoon before heading to Rogers State next weekend, April 22-24.
The Ichabods (27-14, 17-10 MIAA) have now won six of their nine MIAA series this season.
The Hornets (16-25, 10-17 MIAA) made some noise in their first at bat and had runners on second and third, but Washburn starter
John Cross escaped the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.
ESU threatened again in the bottom of the third as the first three batters reached base with two singles and a hit by pitch. Cross struck out the next two batters on three straight pitches and got out of the inning unscathed with a third-consecutive strikeout.
The first run of the game was scored in the fifth by the Hornets. ESU hit a one out triple and then loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and walk and then plated a run on a sacrifice fly.
Dalton Huggins took over on the mound and on the first pitch, ended the inning with a flyout.
After retiring the Hornets in order in the bottom of the sixth, the Ichabods got things going in the seventh.
Brett Ingram recorded Washburn's first hit of the day with a single to left field and then advanced to second on an error. With two outs,
Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli drew a walk and
Easton Bruce hit a bloop single that dropped in shallow left field that allowed Ingram to score the tying run.
The Washburn defense turned its second double play of the afternoon with a 3-6-3 double play and Huggins wrapped up the seventh with a strikeout.
With the game still knotted up at one run apiece, Huggins kept it there in the bottom of the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning that included two strikeouts.
In the top of the ninth, Ingram ripped a one out double down the left field line to get a runner in scoring position. After recording the second out of the frame, Emporia State's starter, Noah Geekie, was pulled to face Clark-Chiapparelli. On the seventh pitch of his at bat, Clark-Chiapparelli hit a double of his own to left center to drive in the go-ahead run.
Rane Pfeifer was called on to close the game and got a groundout for the first out. The Hornets got a man on with a bunt single, but it was quickly erased with a game-ending 4-6-3 double play, Washburn's third DP of the afternoon.
Emporia State out hit Washburn, 8-4, as the Ichabods did not get a hit until the seventh. Ingram went 2-4 and scored both of Washburn's runs. Clark-Chiapparelli had a double, walk, and RBI.
Cross received a no-decision in his first start of the year as he went 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run on six hits with two walks and had a season-high seven strikeouts. Huggins (3-0) earned the win as he worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings and surrendered only one single while striking out four. Pfeifer threw nine pitches in the ninth and received his first save of the year.
