By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball scored eight runs in the middle three innings on Tuesday evening and held on late to knock off Emporia State 9-7 in a nonconference game to wrap up the regular-season home slate at Falley Field.
The Ichabods will play their second game in as many days Wednesday, going on the road to take on Southern Nazarene on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Washburn's Jett Buck had two hits and drove in three runs in the Ichabods' 9-7 win over Emporia State on Tuesday. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Griffin Hurst threw two hitless innings against the Hornets to begin Tuesday's game, striking out four of the first seven batters he faced.
In the top of the fourth Emporia State (19-28) opened the scoring with a leadoff home run to right field by Kadyn Williams but Washburn's Cash Jay led off the bottom of the inning with a double and the bases were loaded after a walk to Hayden Priest and Connor Scott was hit by a pitch.
Jett Buck punched a double into the right-field corner, scoring two.
Two batters later Blake Scott blasted a double off the wall in right-center to score two more and complete a four-run inning for the Ichabods (25-19).
The Hornets got a leadoff single in the fifth, moving to second on a wild pitch. A single through the right side of the infield scored the run to make it 4-2. Washburn got out of the inning throwing out runners at both second base and home in a double steal attempt.
Jay, Priest and Connor Scott led off the sixth with three straight singles to load the bases before Cal Watkins hit a sacrifice fly to score Jay. Buck followed with his second straight RBI, hitting a single through the left side of the infield to bring Priest around.
After entering in the top of the fifth Sam Wragge tossed a scoreless sixth inning, getting another double play to end the inning.
In the home half of the fifth Blake Scott earned a leadoff walk and two batters later he was brought home on a home run to left center from Cale Savage.
Connor Scott led off the seventh inning with a triple off the wall in right-center. Trey Adams came through with a pinch-hit single into left field to score Scott and push the lead to 9-2.
Emporia State loaded the bases in the eighth on a pair of singles and a walk and cleared them with a grand slam to right field by Patryk Hernandez. The damage was limited to the one swing in the inning.
In the ninth the Hornets scored another run on a pair of walks and a single.
Logan Bartlett took over on the mound, striking out the final two hitters of the game to finish off the win.
The Ichabods had 11 hits in the game, as Jay, Priest, Connor Scott and Buck each had two-hit days. Buck drove in three runs.
Washburn used six total pitchers, with Huiatt throwing 4.1 innings and giving up just two while striking out six.
Wragge moved to 1-0 on the year while picking up the win and Bartlett earned his first save of the season.
Shawnee Heights product Andrew Rantz went 3-3 with an RBI and a walk for Emporia State.
