By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods and Central Missouri Jennies combined for 40 runs and 47 hits in nearly six hours of softball action Sunday at Gahnstrom Field as the two teams split an MIAA doubleheader.
Central Missouri came from behind 3-0, 5-2 and 7-5 to win Game 1 10-8 before the Ichabods rallied from an early 4-0 deficit and held on late to take the nightcap, 12-10.
Junior Sadie Walker picked up her 12th pitching win of the season in Sunday's 12-10 Washburn win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Sunday was somewhat of an up and down day for Washburn at the plate, in the pitcher's circle and defensively, but after dropping its previous twinbill against Nebraska-Kearney and letting Sunday's opener slip away, Ichabod coach Brenda Holaday said it was important to find a way to get the second-game win over the Jennies.
"We lost the last two last weekend and that left a pretty sour taste in our mouth,'' Holaday said. "I think we felt like those were games we should have had and today we had every opportunity to win that first game and our pitching just really let us down and our defense at times.
"We scored enough runs to wins and about let it happen again the second game, so it was big for us to walk away wih a win because we needed to change the course a little bit.''
In the opener, Washburn (25-16 overall, 7-7 MIAA) saw its first three batters reach base as Ellington Hogle singled and Makenzie Sais walked before Alexis Tanguma blasted a three-run homer to left field, staking the Ichabods to an early 3-0 lead.
UCM came back with two runs in the top of the second cutting the lead to 3-2 but WU scored twice in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-2.
The Jennies fought back to tie the game 5-5 in the top of the sixth, but in the bottom half of the sixth the Ichabods recorded their first hit since the first inning, scoring two runs on a two-out, two-strike double from Erin Boles that scored both Sais and Gracie Gallagher.
UCM came back with two runs to tie the score in the top of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings.
In the eighth, Morgan Shields connected on a 3-run homer, putting the Jennies up 10-7.
Washburn was able to get runners to second and third with no outs in the bottom of the eighth, scoring one to cut the final margin to two, but would get no closer.
Tanguma and Boles each drove in three runs for the Ichabods and Sais scored four times and walked four times in the game, tying a school record for the most walks in a game.
Jenna Sprague took the pitching loss for Washburn.
The Jennies (20-14, 7-7) scored four runs in their first at bat of the second game but Washburn came back with two of their own on a Tanguma double to right, scoring Sais and Hogle, who both singled.
In the second, starting pitcher Sadie Walker needed only four pitches to get through the inning and the Ichabods took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the inning when Jaden LaBarge led off the inning with a double to center and scored on a double by Danielle Schlader. After a Kate Ediger single and a pitching change from the Jennies, Schlader scored on a passed ball.
The Ichabods scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth recording five hits in the inning and all coming with two outs.
Hogle singled to start the rally and after a single from Sais, Tanguma drew a walk to load the bases. Boles also reached on a walk.
Kaylee Wagner singled in both Tanguma and Sais and then LaBarge drove in two more with an RBI double and Schlader followed with a single driving in LaBarge as Washburn went up 11-4.
The Jennies came back with six runs in their at bat in the top of the fifth pulling within one at 11-10.
Jaden LaBarge is mobbed by her Washburn teammates after hitting a home run in Sunday's 12-10 win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Neither team scored in their next at bats until Washburn added an insurance run in the sixth on a solo home run by LaBarge as Washburn went up 12-10.
The Jennies were retired in order in the seventh by Sprague, who picked up her third save of the season as Walker improved to 12-6 in the circle.
Sais and LaBarge each had three hits in the game and LaBarge scored three times and drove in three runs. Tanguma and Schlader each drove in two.
Washburn will wrap up its eight-game homestand on Monday, hosting Newman in a 2 p.m. twinbill.
