By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's baseball team scored six runs in the fourth inning to complete the regular season with a 18-1 series-sweeping road win over Northeastern State on Sunday afternoon.
Washburn pitcher Chase Torkelson limited Northeastern State to one run in six innings of work on Sunday, improving to 5-0 on the season. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods improved to a season-high 10 games over .500 at 29-19 overall (21-12 MIAA) and will enter the MIAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Ichabods will face No. 4 Central Oklahoma on the road beginning Friday.
The scoring in the game started in the second inning after Washburn loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an error.
Payton McHarg was able to work a walk, bringing in the first run of the game.
Chase Torkelson got the start for WU and held the RiverHawks scoreless for the first three innings of the game while allowing just one hit and one walk.
In the third a pair of one-out singles from Hayden Priest and Connor Scott put two on base. Blake Scott reached on a throwing error, which also allowed Priest to score. Jett Buck shot a single into left field to add another run and Buck and Blake Scott executed a double steal bringing Scott safely home to make it 4-0 after two and a half innings.
The next time at bat Cal Watkins led off with a walk and McHarg was hit by a pitch and Cale Savage sat down a sac bunt to move both runners over.
Cash Jay and Priest followed with back-to-back singles, each scoring a run. Connor Scott made it three hits in a row, smacking a single to left, scoring Jay.
Blake Scott worked a walk to load the bases and Buck made use of that, scoring Priest with an RBI groundout.
Grant Jones took care of the other two left on base with a two-run single to left, capping off the six-run fourth inning.
Torkelson continued to keep the RiverHawks offense down, throwing a scoreless fourth inning while allowing just one walk.
McHarg led off the fifth with a single, moved to second on a walk from Jay and to third on a passed ball before scoring on a balk.
Priest singled to score Jay, and after Connor Scott was hit by a pitch, Teagan Tamiya delivered a two-out pinch-hit single to right field scoring two, making it 14-0 in the fifth.
With two-outs in the sixth Washburn loaded the bases on a single from Ike Book, an error and another hit batter.
Chase Littrell beat out an infield single to score Book and add another run.
A double, followed by a one-out single, put the first run on the board for Northeastern State in the bottom of the sixth.
Torkelson ended his day throwing six innings, allowing just one run and striking out five on 100 pitches while improving to 5-0 on the year.
The Ichabods scored three runs on four hits in the top of the seventh, one coming on a single from Book and two more on a double into left field by Jay to make it 18-1.
Kai Bennett retired Northeastern State in order in the bottom of the seventh to complete the road sweep.
At the plate Washburn had 16 hits coming from 11 different players.
Priest led with three hits, driving in a pair, and Jay had three RBI.
Between Torkelson and Bennett on the mound the Ichabods faced just 27 batters in the game, allowing just five total hits and two walks.
