TOPEKA, Kan. -- No. 3 Central Missouri jumped ahead in the first inning and Washburn was unable to mount a comeback, falling 16-4 in game two of the series. The Ichabods and Mules will finish out the series on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Central Missouri (22-3, 11-1 MIAA) struck early in the first inning, getting a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the game. They hit another solo shot to center field with two-outs to make it 2-0 after the top of the first.
Payton McHarg led off the home half of the first with a single and was able to move to third on a double into left from Cash Jay, scoring on an error on the relay to the infield.
Cooper Carlgren got the start for the Ichabods (13-10, 8-4 MIAA) as Central Missouri was able to get on the board for a second inning to start the game beginning with a single and a double off the center field wall to score one. A wild pitch brought home a second run and UCM's third solo homer of the game made it 5-1 after one and a half innings.
Washburn used a trio of pitchers in the third with Carlgren, Ashton Jenkins and Cole Warner all throwing. A one-out triple and a walk put two on base and one scored on a wild pitch. Another walk put two back on base before a home run scored all three to make it 9-1. After a double and error with one out the fifth run of the inning scored on a wild pitch.
The Ichabods got one run back in the bottom of the third with Jay taking a 2-1 pitch over the wall in left field for a leadoff home run but that was all they would score in that half inning. After a leadoff double by Jett Buck he scored on a single through the left side of the infield off the bat of Blake Scott to make it a 10-3 game.
After a scoreless fourth from Warner and fifth inning from Gavin Wilhelm the Mules got back on the board in the sixth. UCM scored a pair of runs first on a sac fly after the bases were loaded on two hit batters and a walk. A two-out single scored the second run.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases in the seventh for Central Missouri as they brought one run home on an error in the infield. A walk scored a second run and two-more came around on a single to right field to complete the four-run inning.
Hayden Priest got an RBI groundout scoring Payton McHarg after he walked to lead off the seventh and was moved to third by a Cale Savage double. That was all the Ichabods would muster in game two.
Washburn tallied eight hits in the game with two each coming from Cash Jay and Jett Buck. The Ichabods were walked just once, while UCM got 10 free bases. The Ichabods used seven pitchers in the game, with Carlgren taking his first loss of the season moving to 3-1.
UCM had 11 hits in the game, Brennen van Breusegen went 4-5 and drove in four runs while Max Holy had two hits and five RBI.
