By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn baseball scored seven runs in the first inning and never trailed as the Ichabods evened the series with a 10-8 home victory in Game 2 against Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon.
Washburn (29-17, 19-13 MIAA) will close out the regular season on Senior Day Sunday at 1 p.m.
Former Washburn Rural standout Dalton Huggins was the winning pitcher in Washburn's 10-8 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday, improving to 5-1 on the season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Pittsburg State (28-18, 21-11 MIAA) drew a leadoff walk to start the game and reached third after a couple of wild pitches, but Ichabod starter John Cross got three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
Washburn's offense wasted little time getting on the scoreboard and showed its power in the bottom of the first as Brett Ingram hit a one-out solo shot over the fence in left center field.
Parker Dunn drew a five-pitch walk before Tyler Clark-Chiapparelli cleared the bases with a long two-run homer to left field.
Quinn Waterbury singled to right and moved up to second on a fielding error. A wild pitch allowed him to move up to third and then score on Easton Bruce's RBI groundout to put the Ichabods in front, 4-0.
A walk, single, and another walk loaded the bases and forced the Gorillas to change pitchers. With the wind blowing strong, Cal Watkins' hit to the outfield fell for a double that drove in two more runs. Washburn's seventh run of the frame was scored by Otto Jones on a wild pitch.
The Gorillas scored two runs in both the third and fourth innings to make it a 7-4 game.
In the bottom of the fourth with one runner on and two outs, Waterbury hit a monster home run to right field to increase WU's lead to 9-4.
Pittsburg State answered with two runs of its own the following inning, but Washburn Rural product Dalton Huggins took over on the mound and got all three outs to leave the bases loaded and end the inning without further damage.
After both teams were retired in order in the sixth, the scoring got started again in the seventh. The Gorillas scored two runs, one unearned, to pull within one, 9-8.
Washburn added some insurance in the home half of the seventh. With runners on first and second, Jones laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both Ichabods into scoring position. Pittsburg State brought in a new pitcher and the first pitch got away, allowing Scott to score and push Washburn's lead to 10-8.
Huggins got three quick outs in the eighth and returned to close out the ninth. After a leadoff walk, Huggins got a strikeout and then induced a game-ending 5-4-3 double play.
The Ichabods out hit the Gorillas, 13-9, and recorded three home runs, a double, and a triple on the afternoon. Ingram was 3 for 5 and notched his 11th homer of the season. Waterbury and Clark-Chiapparelli were both 2-5 with a two-run home run and two runs scored. Scott went 2-3 with a walk at the plate and scored twice.
Huggins earned the win and improved his record to 5-1 after throwing five innings in relief and allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts.
Cross went four innings and surrendered six runs on seven hits with three walks while achieving a season-high nine strikeouts. Additionally, after the leadoff walk, he retired the next six batters on strikeouts.
