TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn never trailed Saturday afternoon picking up its first win in MIAA play with an 8-4 victory over Pittsburg State. The Ichabods will take on the Gorillas on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the series rubber match.
Trevor McCollum led off the game in the home half of the first inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Payton McHarg put the first run of the game on the board hitting a double into left-center.
Cooper Carlgren got the game two start for Washburn (5-7, 1-1 MIAA) and finished off the second inning without allowing a run. Ike Book singled to lead off the second but was replaced with Jett Buck after a fielders choice. Buck stole second and scored after Trey Adams knocked a single through the left side of the infield.
Back-to-back walks led off the third inning for Pittsburg State (10-4, 1-1 MIAA), with one scoring on a single to cut the deficit down to one and put the visitors on the board.
Once again Book led off the next inning with a single, Adams and McCollum joined him on base through a pair of walks to load the bases. After working the count to 2-2 McHarg cleared the bases with a grand slam over the right field wall, the first of the season for the Ichabods.
The Gorillas began the top of the fifth with back-to-back doubles to score one run but were held there as Carlgren finished off the inning with three consecutive strikeouts.
Washburn got the run right back in the bottom of the inning on a single up the middle from Buck, scoring Book and Connor Scott who had walked and doubled respectively to reach base. Carlgren held the lead at 8-2 through the top of the sixth to finish his outing with a final line of 10 strikeouts, five walks and four hits allowed in six innings.
Neither team scored in both the seventh and eighth innings with Logan Bartlett taking the mound for the Ichabods and throwing both innings while giving up just one hit and one walk.
Charlie Kiefer began the ninth inning on the mound for Washburn and after two runs scored for Pittsburg State he was relieved by Caden Bressler. Bressler got the final two outs of the game to give the Ichabods their first conference win.
Washburn picked up 10 hits in the game, led by Payton McHarg who had three with five RBI attached to them. Trey Adams reached base three times with two walks and one hit, brining one run in himself.
The Ichabod pitching staff tallied 12 strikeouts and allowed just seven hits while walking seven. Carlgren earned the win, moving to 2-0 on the year and Bressler secured his first save.
Blake Mozley was the only hitter for the Gorillas to pick up multiple hits with the leadoff hitter notching two hits.
