By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 24-ranked Washburn University softball team pushed its win streak to 11 games on Friday with a doubleheader sweep at Fort Hays State, 13-6 and 2-0.
Washburn, 34-10 overall, 15-5 in the MIAA, recorded a season-high 16 hits in the opener, scoring in six of seven innings, while senior Jaycee Ginter twirled a two-hit shutout in the second game.
Washburn senior Jaycee Ginter threw a two-hitter and recorded a fourth straight shutout in the Ichabods' 2-0 win second-game win over Fort Hays State on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Erin Boles went 5 of 6 with four runs scored in Washburn's doubleheader sweep over Fort Hays State on Friday. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods got on the board in their first at bat of the day when Erin Boles led off the game with a single and came around to score on Kaylee Wagner's single to left as Washburn took the early 1-0 lead.
In the second frame, Mariah Wheeler started things off with a single and then Gracie Gallagher entered as a pinch runner, moving to second on a sac bunt by Autymn Schreiner. A single from Ellington Hogle, followed by a stolen base from Hogle put runners and second and third. Boles hit a sac fly to score Gallgher as the Ichabods took a 2-0 advantage.
The third inning saw the Ichabods get a two-runner homer by Wagner, her second of the season, scoring Alexis Tanguma, who had reached on a single.
The Tigers scored three runs in the third inning on three hits to get within 4-3, but Washburn came back with two runs of its own in the fourth inning when Hogle was hit by a pictch and then moved to second when Boles singled to center.
A sac bunt from Marrit Mead moved the runners up 60 feet and then Jaycee Ginter's second walk of the game loaded the bases before Tanguma stroked a two-run single.
Washburn added two more in the fifth on Mead's program-best 57th career double which scored Boles and Wheeler as the Ichabods increased their lead to 8-3.
After the Tigers (17-19, 3-11 MIAA) scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, Washburn put the game away with five runs on six hits/
Madi Moore, Schreiner, Hogle, Ginter, and Tanguma all collected RBI as Washburn opened up a 13-5 lead.
The Tigers scored one in the bottom of the sixth to avoid the run rule but it was not enough as the Ichabods took the opener by the seven-run margin.
Sophomore Sadie Walker improved to 19-5 in the pitcher's circle, throwing 116 pitches.
Boles, Tanguma and Wagner all had three hits to lead Washburn and Tanguma and Wagner each drove three runs.
The Ichabods broke a scoreless tie in the second inning of the second game after Fort Hays State committed two errors in the frame.
The first miscue put Moore on first and then she scored when Schreiner reached on a fielding error by the Tigers as the Ichabods went up 1-0.
The Ichabods pushed their lead to 2-0 in the third inning when Boles led off the inning with a single and then moved to second on a sac bunt from Mead. After Ginter's single, Tanguma singled to right field, scoring Boles.
Neither team would score the rest of the game as the Ichabods picked up the sweep.
Ginter struck out six in a complete-game two-hitter while walking only one and improving to 15-5 on the season.
Washburn returns home for its final weekend of regular-season action at Gahnstrom Field on Friday and Saturday, hosting Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern.
Newman takes 10-9 extra-inning win over WU baseball
Washburn built an early lead at Newman on Friday afternoon but was unable to hold on to a three-run lead late before falling 10-9 in 10 innings in the opening game of a three-game series.
Game 2 will get underway at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
Cash Jay hit a three-run opener in the first inning to put the Ichabods (18-15, 12-9) up 3-0.
After a one-two-three bottom of the first on the mound by Caden Bressler to hold the Jets in check Washburn added to the lead in the second as Otto Jones hit a one-out solo shot to extend the Washburn lead to 4-0.
Bressler held Newman (8-28) scoreless for the first two innings before the the Jets were able to get on the board with a solo home run in the home half of the third.
After a walk led off the Jets' half of the fourth inning the next two batters went down. A single followed by a double scored one run and a three-run homer put Newman in front after four innings.
The score stayed the same in the fifth as Bressler finished his outing with a scoreless frame. Griffin Huiatt took over in the sixth inning and tossed a scoreless inning while stranding one runner.
A Jett Buck single with two outs in the seventh put two runners on after Cale Savage walked with one out in the inning. After working a full count Hayden Priest sent the third Ichabod home run over the left-field wall to give WU a 7-5 lead.
Newman cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the inning after a leadoff single was moved to third and brought home on an RBI groundout.
Blake Scott led off the Washburn eighth with a pinch hit single and he moved to second after Cal Watkins walked and went to third on an error by the pitcher. McHarg hit a grounder towards the mound and was able to reach base and move to second on another error while scoring Scott.
Jay was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Priest worked a bases loaded walk to score another and make it a 9-6 game.
The Jets led off the eighth with back-to-back hits, bringing Kai Bennett to the mound. The bases were loaded with no outs and a single brought in one run before the first out was recorded. Cole Warner took over pitching and got an inning-ending double play to hold onto the lead.
Washburn left one on base in the top of the ninth to leave the game knotted at 9-7.
In the bottom of the inning Newman got a leadoff double but was down to its last out before the home team tied the game with a two-run home run to send it to extras.
In the bottom of the tenth the Jets strung together three singles to walk-off the game, 10-9.
The Ichabods tallied nine hits in the game, with Grant Jones the only player with multiple hits with two. Priest drove in four runs and Jay three.
