JOPLIN, Mo. -- The 2025 Washburn baseball season came to an end in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals on Friday afternoon with a 9-8 loss to Northwest Missouri State. The Ichabods end the season with a 28-25 record, reaching the tournament semifinals as a No. 7 seed after winning two games.
After a slow offensive start the day before Washburn (28-25) wasted no time in the semifinals. Payton McHarg led off the game with a single and would quickly score on a full count home run from Jett Buck to left center. Jackson Mervosh followed with a single before stealing second. He scored on a single from Hayden Priest into left field to go up 3-0.
In the home half of the inning the Bearcats (27-24) were able to string together a pair of hits along with a sacrifice fly to score one. A pair of singles from Connor and Blake Scott in the second put two on. McHarg beat out an infield single allowing Connor Scott to score. Cash Jay made it 5-1 by lifting a sacrifice fly to left.
Northwest Missouri was able to load the bases with one out on three walks in the bottom of the second. They scored one on a single with two more coming on a double to pull within one run. In the third Priest singled with one out and would come around to score on a sacrifice fly from Blake Scott. The Bearcats had another response, with a pair of singles and a walk scoring one run before a wild pitch scored another to tie it at six after three.
After taking over in the second, Kai Bennett tossed a scoreless fourth inning as neither team got on the board. A hit batter, bunt single and a single into the outfield gave the Bearcats a 7-6 lead in the fifth. Chase Torkelson took over on the mound with two on and no out and struck out one and got a double play to escape the inning.
In the sixth inning he worked around another bases loaded situation to strand three more and keep the deficit at one. Washburn got back on the board in the seventh, beginning with Mervosh getting hit by a pitch. He moved to second and scored on a single by Darian Duhon. The Ichabods took the lead on a wild pitch that allowed Priest to cross home.
Caleb Lunnon took over on the mound in the bottom half of the seventh inning, striking out a pair in a 1-2-3 inning. He stranded two on base in the eighth to maintain the lead. In the nith Northwest Missouri led off with a triple that bounced off the fence down the line in right field. A sacrifice fly scored the run to tie it. An error in the field extended the inning and left the Bearcats with a runner on second. A shot into the left field corner gave the six seed a walk-off victory.
Washburn out-hit Northwest Missouri 13-11 while having deficits in walks, 8-4, and errors, 3-0.
Four pitchers took the mound for the Ichabods, combining for seven strikeouts. Caleb Lunnon threw a team-high 2.2 innings and had three K's. At the plate five players had multi-hit games. Jett Buck had a pair of RBI with his first-inning home run while both Blake and Connor Scott reached base three times.
Three players had two hits for the Bearcats.
