TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn finished the regular season with a 5-0 two-hit shutout over No. 5 Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon on senior day. The Ichabods finish as the No. 8 seed in the MIAA Tournament and will take on the No. 9 seed Central Oklahoma in the first round on Wednesday, May 6 in Edmond, Okla. beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the game the eight Washburn seniors: Jackson Mervosh, Caleb Lunnon, Maclane Finley, Griffin Huiatt, Kyle Snyder, Blake Priest, Max Clark and Keegan McDonald were recognized on the field.
Once the game started it didn't take long for the Ichabods (21-28, 17-18 MIAA) to get on the board. Ian Luce singled with one out and after Jack Borgmann walked and Levi Risenhoover was hit by a pitch the bases were loaded. Easton Wasinger drove one home with a single and a second scored on a wild pitch, Trenton Barry lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score a third run.
Gavin Wilhelm got the start for Washburn and was in cruise control from the start, holding the Gorillas (39-9, 26-9) without a hit until the fourth inning. In the bottom of the third Borgmann blasted a solo home run to left center to add another run to the Ichabod tally.
Wilhelm kept Pittsburg State scoreless until he exited with one out in the seventh inning. Griffin Huiatt finished off the frame. In the seventh Borgmann slashed a single and Risenhoover worked a walk to put two runners on. Barry slapped a double into the right center gap to score one and make it 5-0.
Blake Priest took over on the mound in the middle of the eighth and he and Caleb Lunnon combined to finish out the game without allowing another baserunner to pick up the third shutout of the season.
Washburn needed just nine hits as the Gorillas were held to just two. The Ichabods also led 3-2 in walks while neither team committed an error. Four pitchers combined for the effort led by 6.1 innings of one-hit ball from Gavin Wilhelm to move him to 3-0 on the year picking up the win with five strikeouts.
At the plate all of Ian Luce, Jack Borgmann and Trenton Barry had multi-hit days. Borgmann reached base all four times going 2-2 with two walks, three runs and an RBI. Trenton Barry drove in a pair of runs.
