TOPEKA, Kan. – Washburn's Andrew Paulsey secured the series win over Emporia State in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon with a pinch hit two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Ichabods a 7-6 victory. Washburn will hit the road for two non-conference games to begin the week, first taking on Southeastern Oklahoma on Monday at 4 p.m. in a neutral site contest in Claremore, Okla.
 
In the opening inning, the Hornets (16-26, 10-17 MIAA) got two runners on by way of a walk and single and then Patryk Hernandez emptied the bases with a home run to left field. 
 
The Ichabods (24-17, 17-10 MIAA) cut into the deficit in the bottom of the first inning. Cale Savage drew a one out walk and Ike Book followed that up with a single. Both runners moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch and then Trey Adams drove the two runs in with a single to center field to trim ESU's lead to 3-2. 
 
Neither team was able to get another run across until the top of the fifth when a leadoff walk eventually came around to score to make it 4-2 in favor of Emporia State.
 
Washburn pulled within one in the bottom of the sixth when Shane Morrow tripled to right center and then scored on an RBI groundout by Caden Bressler.
 
Cole Warner worked a nine-pitch 1-2-3 seventh inning and the Ichabod offense got to work in the home half. Book led off with a single up the middle and Adams was issued a walk. On a 1-2 pitch, Easton Bruce drove in the tying run with a single to right field and then Andrew Schmidtlein knocked in the go-ahead run to give the Ichabods' their first lead of the afternoon at 5-4.
 
ESU led off the eighth inning with a double down the right field line and moved the runner over to third on a ground out, but that is where he was left stranded to keep the Ichabods' lead intact.
 
The Ichabods looked to add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and had runners on the corners with two outs, but a pop up ended the inning.
 
Washburn got two quick outs in the top of the ninth before the Hornets worked an eight-pitch walk to keep the inning alive. On the sixth pitch of his at bat, Chandler Bloomer hit a home run to center field to retake the lead for Emporia State, 6-5.
 
With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Schmidtlein reached base after getting hit by the pitch. Paulsey was called upon to be a pinch hitter and was down in the count 1-2 when he launched a home run down the right field line for the walk-off win.
 
Washburn led in hits, 11-6, and seven of the nine starters had at least one hit. Book was 3-5 with two runs scored. Adams had one hit, two RBI, and one runs scored. Schmidtlein landed a pair of singles, was walked once, and collected an RBI.
 
Charlie Kiefer was the pitcher of record and received the win, improving to 2-2. He struck out two in the ninth inning. Warner threw 2 1/3 innings in relief and surrendered only one hit while striking out three. Ichabod starter Rane Pfeifer went 5 2/3 and allowed four runs, four hits, four walks, and hit two batters while striking out eight. After the first inning, he did not allow another hit until the fifth.