TOPEKA, Kan. – The Washburn Ichabod softball team moved into a first-place tie after sweeping Northeastern State on Senior Day at Gahnstrom Field on Sunday afternoon. Washburn, who moved to 38-11 overall and 20-2 in the MIAA, will host No. 8-ranked Rogers State at 3 p.m. on Monday in Topeka. Rogers State sits in third-place in the conference race at 16-4.
 
Game 1 – WU 3, NSU 0
Ichabod starting pitcher Jaycee Ginter held the RiverHawks hitless through 6 1/3 innings striking out eight enroute to her 24^th win of the season in the opener. Washburn got on the board in the bottom of the second after Jaden LaBarge doubled and then scored on Kimi Patterson's single to left center.
 
In the fourth, Washburn added two more runs pushing its lead to 3-0 after Ashton Friend led off the frame with a walk and then after a single to right by LaBarge, Patterson hit a ground rule double to right center scoring Friend. Hadley Kerschen's ground out to second scoring Patterson.
 
After NSU broke up Ginter's no-hit bid in the top of the seventh, Washburn retired the next two batters and Ginter retired the final RiverHawk batter on a called strike three ending the game.
 
LaBarge and Patterson each had two of Washburn's seven hits total while LaBarge scored two times.
 
Game 2 – WU 3, NSU 2 (8 innings)
Washburn jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second taking advantage of a NSU (23-22, 11-9 MIAA) error scoring twice. Patterson singled and then after Kerschen reached on an error, Patterson scored on a ground out by Kaylee Wagner and then Kerschen crossed home on a wild pitch.
 
Northeastern State scored its first run of the day in the top of the fourth after back-to-back doubles cut the Ichabod lead in half at 2-1. Washburn managed one hit in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and in the top of the seventh, NSU tied the score with a one-out sac fly.
 
The RiverHawks went down in order in the top of the eighth and Marrit Mead led off the eighth with a single to right and after a pinch-hit single by Ellington Hogle and a throwing error by the RiverHawks, Mead went to third and Hogle advanced to second. Ginter drew a walk loading the bases setting up Mead scoring the winning run on a wild pitch by Northeastern State securing the Ichabod Senior Day sweep.
 
Mead had two hits to lead the Ichabod offense. Raegen Hamm started the game tossing four innings striking out four and then Ginter came in pitching the final four moving to 25-3 becoming Washburn's single-season leader in wins. The 25 wins also leads the NCAA D2 ranks.
 
Washburn won its 17^th and 18^th games in a row and moved to 24-0 in games played at Gahnstrom Field this season.