PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Washburn baseball got its first complete game effort of the season coming from the right arm of Cooper Carlgren to move them into the MIAA Tournament Semifinals with a 2-1 win over No. 15 Pittsburg State on Thursday afternoon. The No. 7 seed Ichabods will face the winner of the game between No. 3 Fort Hays State and No. 6 Northwest Missouri in Friday at 4 p.m. as the tournament moves to Joplin, Mo.
The first 12 batters that Cooper Carlgren faced were retired as he carried a perfect game into the fifth inning before it was broken up with a leadoff single. On offense, Washburn (28-24) had just three hits in the first four innings. Two came in the third inning but were unable to break the scoreless tie.
After the single from the Gorillas (39-10) in the fifth Carlgren was able to get a one-out grounder for a double play, continuing to face the minimum. It was the seventh inning before a runner for either team reached third base, coming from Pittsburg State after a leadoff single.
The run was able to score with two outs on an error in the field to put the home team up 1-0 after seven. With one out in the eighth Blake Scott slashed a single up the middle, he moved to third on a double into the left field corner by Payton McHarg. Jett Buck was able to lift a fly ball to left field for a sacrifice fly to score Scott and tie the game. With two outs, Cash Jay went up the middle for a single to score McHarg and put the Ichabds on top for the first time.
Carlgren cruised through the eighth with two strikeouts and in the bottom of the ninth he stranded the tying run at third base getting a fly ball to finish out his first career complete game and punch Washburn's ticket to the semifinals with a 2-1 win.
The nine-inning effort breaks Cooper Carlgren's previous career high by more than an inning as he added seven strikeouts with zero walks and allowed just four hits.
At the plate the Ichabods doubled the Gorillas in hits 8-4 while neither team walked in the game. Hayden Priest and Cash Jay each had multi-hit efforts in the game with the RBI coming from Jay and Jett Buck.
Maddox Thornton went eight innings on the mound for Pittsburg State allowing two runs with three strikeouts.
