EDMOND, Okla. -- The 2026 season for Washburn baseball came to a close in the MIAA Tournament First Round with a 5-3 loss to Central Oklahoma on Wednesday evening. The Ichabods finish the season with a 21-30 record after going 17-19 in the MIAA.
After Kai Bennett was able to open the game with a ground ball double play to finish off the first inning it was Washburn (21-30, 17-19 MIAA) that was able to get on the board first. Ian Luce laced a double to right with one out and Jack Borgmann singled to put two on. Levi Risenhoover found a hole in the left side for a single that plated one and Easton Wasinger lifted a sacrifice fly to score a second.
The score stayed that way until the third inning which saw the Bronchos (27-24) load the bases after a error, walk and single. An RBI groundout scored one before a single into center plated two more putting Central Oklahoma in front 3-2. The Ichabods picked up just one baserunner over the next two innings until the Bronchos added a run in the fifth with a two-out single.
Griffin Huiatt took over on the mound in the sixth inning for Washburn and delivered three scoreless innings that included three punchouts. At the plate the Ichabods had double plays in both the seventh and eighth innings that took runners off the basepaths.
In the top of the ninth the Bronchos were able to add another run on a sacrifice fly after an error extended the inning coupled with a pair of hits. In the bottom of the ninth Risenhoover led off with a double, he scored with one out on a single through the right side by Brandt Beeby. Jackson Mervosh reached on a single but with two runners on Washburn couldn't cut more into the deficit as the No. 9 seed Central Oklahoma held on to defeat the No. 8 seeded Ichabods.
Both teams had exactly 12 hits in the contest with the Bronchos working a 3-1 advantage in walks drawn. Washburn used five pitchers in the contest while Kai Bennett and Griffin Huiatt combined for eight of the nine innings with three strikeouts each. Bennett allowed just one earned run over 5.0 innings.
At the plate five players had multi-hit days led by a 3-4 effort from Ian Luce who scored a run as well. His first hit moved him into 2nd in program history for hits in a single season. Levi Risenhoover and Brandt Beeby each went 2-4 with an RBI while Jackson Mervosh and Jack Borgmann both had two base knocks.
