HAYS, Kan. – Washburn baseball opened its MIAA schedule with two victories at Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 13-7 in 10 innings and cruising to a 9-2 win in game two. The series finale will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Game 1 (Washburn 13, Fort Hays 7 – 10 innings)
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the first.
 
The Ichabod offense got going in the third with three runs on four hits and an error. Andrew Paulsey led off with a single and then scored on Connor Scott's double. Cal Watkins drove in a run with a single to left field and then moved up to second on a fielding error. With two outs, Cale Savage hit a hot shot up the middle that went off the pitcher and into the outfield to plate Watkins and trim FHSU's lead to 4-3.
 
In the fourth inning, Paulsey led off again with a single and then moved up to second on a wild pitch. Caden Bressler drove in the tying run with a single up the middle. Another single and an error on a fielder's choice loaded up the bases for Easton Bruce, who singled to the pitcher to bring in the go-ahead run and make it 5-4 in favor of Washburn.
 
The Ichabods added another run in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout by Paulsey.
 
The score stayed put at 6-4 until the ninth frame. Bruce led off with a four pitch walk and swiped second to get into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Bruce to move up one more base and then he safely made it home on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter Andrew Schmidtlein.
 
The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the ninth to level the score at 7-all. With one out, FHSU drew a walk, reached on a fielding error, and then cleared the bases with a three-run home run.
 
It was all Washburn in the 10^th inning as the Ichabods put up six runs on six hits to reclaim the lead for good. With runners on the corners, Teagan Tamiya singled up the middle to score Bressler. On the first pitch, Bruce singled to right field to bring in another run. Tamiya scored on a wild pitch and three RBI singles in a row from Blake Scott, Paulsey, and C. Scott gave the Ichabods a six-run cushion.
 
Griffin Huiatt pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10^th and left two runners stranded to close out the game.
 
Washburn out hit Fort Hays, 18-12. Watkins led the Ichabod offense going 5-6 at the plate with three runs scored and an RBI. Paulsey was 3-6 and scored twice and also drove in two runs. Bruce also had two RBI and two runs scored to go with his two hits.
 
On the mound, Cole Warner improved to 3-0 after going 4 2/3 innings in relief and allowing three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits while striking out five.
 
Game 2 (Washburn 9, Fort Hays 2)
For the second-straight game, it was Fort Hays that got on the board first as the Tigers (7-7, 0-2 MIAA) scored one in the home half of the opening inning. FHSU extended its lead to 2-0 in the second after an RBI groundout.
 
The Ichabods (8-7, 2-0 MIAA) jumped ahead 3-2 in the third inning and never trailed again. With runners on second and third, Bruce's single to right field brought in the Ichabods' first run. Following that, Savage laid down a sacrifice bunt to get two runners in scoring position. Book recorded a sacrifice fly to bring home Trey Adams and Paulsey doubled to left center to score Bruce for the go-ahead run.
 
After the second inning, Ichabod starter Rane Pfeifer settled in and did not allow a runner past second base and produced two ground ball double plays.
 
In the fourth, Bruce doubled Washburn's score to 6-2 with a three-run homer over the fence in left center.
 
Washburn pushed its lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth when Bressler scored on a wild pitch.
 
The final scoring of the game occurred in the seventh inning with two runs on three hits. Book singled and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. C. Scott hit an RBI single to left ield and then later scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Ichabods cranked out 13 hits compared to the Tigers' five. For the second-consecutive game, Watkins was 5-6 and scored twice. Bruce was 2-4 with four RBI and scored twice. Book went 2-3 with one walk, one run, and one RBI.
 
Pfeifer earned the win, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on four hits and nine strikeouts. Austin Gerety pitched a clean eighth inning and Mickey Coyne surrendered just one hit in his scoreless ninth inning of work.