MARYVILLE, Mo. -- Washburn gave up five runs in the third inning and was never able to complete a comeback, falling 7-6 to Northwest Missouri on Wednesday afternoon. The Ichabods have a quick turnaround, facing Rogers State in a three-game series beginning on Thursday at 4 p.m. from Falley Field.
Neither side got on the board for the first two innings as Logan Bartlett delivered two scoreless frames in his first start at Washburn (16-13, 10-7 MIAA). After a leadoff single in the third the Bearcats (13-17, 5-12 MIAA) got on the board with a two-run home run to left field. They added three more runs in the inning on a pair of singles and doubles to make it 5-0.
Max Clark kept the score the same, throwing a scoreless fourth and fifth inning without allowing a hit. The Ichabods didn't get on the board until the fifth inning, scoring one run on a solo home run from Cale Savage over the left field wall. They got one more in the sixth as Jett Buck got ahold of a ball to make it 5-2.
Northwest Missouri scored an unearned run after an error, hit batter and a single in the bottom of the sixth. Washburn came back with two more in the seventh, scoring a pair on a homer from Payton McHarg brining home Grant Jones who had singled.
A leadoff walk by Connor Scott put one on in the eighth and a wild pitch put him at second. After being moved to third Cal Watkins hit a sacrifice fly to bring him home and make it 6-5 after seven and a half.
Once again the Bearcats had a response, leading off the home half of the inning with a single and double to score one. In Washburn's last chance at a response McHarg hit a one-out double, scoring on a single from Hayden Priest but that is all the Ichabods would get in the ninth as Northwest Missouri evened the season series.
Five Ichabods took the mound in the game, striking out four while allowing 11 hits and six earned runs. Logan Bartlett took the loss, moving to 1-1 on the year.
At the plate Washburn tallied nine hits led by two each coming from Payton McHarg and Cash Jay. McHarg also drove in two runs.
George Fisher went six innings for the Bearcats, striking out five and allowing just two earned runs.