ALVA, Okla. -- Ten unanswered runs for Nortwestern Oklahoma were too much for Washburn to overcome Wednesday afternoon, falling to the Rangers 10-7. The Ichabods are back home for the next four games, beginning with a three-game series against Rogers State starting on Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m.
Washburn (17-17) wasted no time getting on the board with Darian Duhon leading off the game with a home run to right field. Fidel Hatch opened for the Ichabods, getting out of the first inning with a double play.
In the second, Jett Buck led off with a double and was quickly brought home with a home run by Easton Bruce. Jackson Mervosh kept the run going with a double before moving to third and scoring on an RBI groundout by Connor Scott to make it 4-0.
The bottom of the inning gave the Rangers (22-14) two runs coming on three hits to pull within two. In the third inning, Northwestern Oklahoma loaded the bases with one out on a single and a pair of walks. They went in front on a grand slam home run to left field. Three singles in the next four batters put another run on the board, making it 7-4 after three.
After a scoreless top of the fourth the Rangers added three more runs in the home half, two one a home run and one more with a single to go up by six. Ethan Alexander took over on the mound in the fifth for Washburn, throwing coreless fifth, sixth and seventh innings and needing just 18 pitches to get through all three.
The Ichabods got one run back in the sixth inning on a leadoff home run from Mervosh to right center. They got one more the next time up with Hayden Priest slashing a single to begin the inning. He moved around to third before scoring on an RBI groundout from Bruce to make it 10-6.
Kyle Snyder kept Northwestern Oklahoma off the board in the eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts. Buck hit a two-out RBI single to score Cash Jay in the ninth but that is as far as the rally went for the Ichabods falling 10-7.
Washburn was out-hit 16-12 in the game while they were able to work six walks to five for the Rangers. Five players on the mound combined for eight strikeouts led by four from Ethan Alexander in his three scoreless innings.
At the plate, five players had multi-hit games, led by Jett Buck who went 3-4 with one RBI. Easton Bruce drove in three with a home run.
