TAHLEQUAH, Okla. -- Washburn fell 18-15 on Friday night in a windy game one battle with Northeastern State on the road. The Ichabods will look to even the series in game two on Saturday with first pitch set for 5 p.m.
Scoring started early and often with the RiverHawks (9-10, 6-4 MIAA) picking up five runs on four hits in the home half of the first inning. Washburn (12-10, 5-5 MIAA) got two back in the next at bat, scoring one on a sacrifice fly from Jackson Mervosh and another with Darian Duhon scoring on a passed ball.
Northeastern State pushed the lead back up to 9-2 after the second inning, scoring three runs on all singles. In the third Cash Jay led off with a double and both Easton Bruce and Duhon were walked to load the bases. Jackson Mervosh brought the Ichabods within three with a grand slam to right field, making it 9-6.
Ashton Jenkins took over on the mound in the third, holding the RiverHawks to just one run on a sacrifice fly in the third. Washburn led off the fourth with three straight hits, a single by Hayden Priest, followed by an RBI triple from Jay and double from Bruce to score another run and make it 10-8.
In the bottom of the fourth the first six to the plate for Northeastern State reached base, with five hits. They tallied four runs in the inning, going back up by six. The next time up Washburn led off with three straight walks, followed by Jay also walking, brining in a run. Bruce added another with a single into right field. Jett Buck evened up the game, hitting the Ichabods second grand slam of the day to knot the score at 14.
Three straight reached base for the home squad to begin the bottom half of the inning. They would all come around to score on a pair of singles to go up 17-14. Max Clark tossed a scoreless sixth inning as neither team scored for the first time all game. In the seventh the RiverHawks added one run on a solo home run.
Washburn got the run back in the eighth, with a walk by Blake Scott, followed by singles from Connor Scott and McHarg to score him and make it 18-15. Caden Bressler came out of the bullpen to throw a scoreless eighth but the Ichabod offense couldn't bring any more runs across.
Northeastern State outhit the Ichabods 17-13 while Washburn worked 10 walks to eight for the RiverHawks. Six pitchers took the mound with three innings from Max Clark accounting for the longest outing, he allowed just one run with two strikeouts. NESU used nine pitchers in the slug fest.
Five players had multi-hit days for the Ichabods, led by Cash Jay who went 3-5 with a walk and two RBI. Jackson Mervosh drove in five and Jett Buck plated four as each hit a grand slam. Blake Scott never recorded an at-bat as he walked four times and was hit by a pitch once.
Mason Ruis went 4-5 with five RBI to lead the offensive charge for Northeastern State.
