Former Washburn Rural standout pitcher Dalton Huggins picked up his third save of the season in Washburn's 12-9 win at Northwest Missouri on Thursday. [File photo/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's baseball team snapped a tie score with three runs in the eighth inning and held on for a 12- 9 series-opening win Thursday at Northwest Missouri.
The Ichabods will close out their regular season with a Friday doubleheader, starting at 12 p.m.
Taking advantage of two Bearcat errors in the top of the first, Washburn (17-20 overall, 16-15 in the MIAA) took a 2-0 lead on Peter Shearer's two-out, two-run single.
The Bearcats (13-24, 11-20) cut Washburn's lead to 2-1 in half in the bottom of the first, but Washburn went up 3-1 in the third when Xavier De Leon singled home Shawnee Heights product Cole Emerson.
The Ichabods pushed their lead to 6-1 in the third, with Kros Bay singling home Brett Ingram and De Leon plating two more runs with a single.
Northwest Missouri scored once in the bottom of the third and tied the game 6-6 the following inning.
The Bearcats went ahead 7-6 in the fifth on an unearned run, but Ingram hit a leadoff homer in the sixth and Shearer and Emerson scored on a Northwest throwing error to put WU in front, 9-7..
Northwest Missouri evened the score again with two runs in the seventh, but Washburn took control in the top of the eighth.
Bay drew a one-out walk and then moved to second when Emerson was hit by a pitch before Featherston doubled into the left-center field gap to score two runs and give the Ichabods an 11-9 advantage. Eric Hinostroza reached safely on a fielding error and Featherston scored an unearned run to end the scoring.
Zach Philbin picked up the pitching win to improve to 3-0 while Washburn Rural grad Dalton Huggins closed out the game in the ninth to earn his third save of the season. Washburn ended the contest with its third double play of the game.
Featherston went 3 for 5 at the plate and drove in the go-ahead runs in the eighth while Ingram also had three hits, including his sixth home run.
De Leon had two hits and three RBI and while Emerson had two hits and scored three runs.
WASHBURN 12, NORTHWEST MISSOURI 9
Washburn (17-20, 16-15) 213 003 030 -- 12 13 2
Northwest Missouri (13-24, 11-20) 101 410 200 -- 9 12 4
Pfeifer, Warner (4), Marreel (6), Philbin (7), Huggins (9) and Bay. Wiese, Shadlow (6), Brennaman (6), Hanf (8), Smith (9) and Diel, Broeker. W -- Philbin (3-0). L -- Brennaman (2-3). Save -- Huggins. 2B -- Washburn: Shearer, Featherston. Northwest Missouiri: Warren, Broeker. 3B -- Northwest Missouri: Quick. HR -- Washburn: Ingram.
