By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball secured its second sweep of the season on Sunday afternoon at Falley Field in walkoff fashion, defeating Fort Hays State 7-6 after a home run in the bottom of the ninth from Cale Savage.
Washburn celebrates Sunday's walkoff home run by Cale Savage (21) that gave the Ichabods a 7-6 win and a series sweep over Fort Hays State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods now head out of conference play for one game, playing Rockhurst at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the road.
The Tigers (21-20 overall, 9-18 MIAA) led off the game with back-to-back hits, a double and a single, to score the first run of the game.
After one out another pair of hits scored two more runs to make it 3-0 Tigers after half an inning.
WU's Grant Jones ended the top of the first, robbing what would have been a grand slam in left field to limit the scoring.
Ichabod starter Chase Torkelson settled in the next two innings, holding Fort Hays State without a hit.
Washburn (23-16, 17-10) got on the board in the bottom of the third, beginning with a leadoff walk to Ike Book.
Payton McHarg moved him to second and Cash Jay did the rest, scoring Book with a single down the left-field line.
An inning later Grant Jones shot a one-out single straight up the middle.
Connor Scott tripled one batter later to bring Jones all the way around. Book tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field to score Scott and complete the inning.
Torkelson held the Tigers scoreless through the fifth and into the sixth inning, getting the first two outs in the sixth before Cole Warner finished the inning off.
The score stayed knotted at 3-3 until the bottom of the seventh.
After a one-out walk to Book he was pinch run for by Chase Littrell. He was moved to third on a single through the right side by McHarg. Washburn scored its second straight run via sacrifice fly after Savage lifted one to center field, giving the Ichabods the lead.
The Tigers began the next half inning with a leadoff walk which was sacrificed over to second base. A single into left field got down to score the run and tie the game at four.
In the bottom of the inning Priest and Watkins delivered back-to-back singles to put two runners on. For a second time in the game Scott cleared the bases with a triple into the gap in right center to put Washburn up 6-4.
A one-out walk in the top of the ninth was followed by a two-run home run to straightaway center field, tying the game at 6-6.
Washburn reliever Logan Bartlett sat down the final two hitters in the inning to keep the game tied.
In the bottom of the ninth the Ichabods needed to send only two hitters to the plate with Savage delivering the final shot in the game on a solo home run well over the wall in left field to complete the sweep.
Bartlett earned the win, moving to 3-1 on the season.
At the plate the Ichabods notched 11 hits, with two coming from Scott to drive in three runs.
He became one of seven players in program history to hit two triples in a game.
McHarg and Priest each had multi-hit days as well.
Isaiah Ural had two hits and drove in three runs for the Tigers and Rafael Espinoza threw eight innings.
