By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University baseball used the long ball and small ball to win 4-3 over Newman Saturday on the day that the WU stadium was named Steve Anson Stadium in honor of the late, longtime Ichabod coach.
Washburn renamed its stadium Steve Anson Stadium on Saturday before notching a 4-3 win over Newman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
The Ichabods' regular season will wrap up on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. after ceremonies begin at 12 p.m. for Senior Day.
The Jets (10-32 overall, 6-26 MIAA) led off the game with a pair of hits that would come around to score on an RBI groundout and sacrifice fly to lead 2-0.
But Washburn's Caden Bressler settled in on the mound, throwing scoreless innings in the second, third and fourth.
With the score still 2-0 in the fifth, Washburn (25-24, 17-18) got out of the top of the inning with a 6-4-3 double play. In the bottom of the inning Owen Laessig led off with a home run to cut the Newman lead to one.
After two batters reached in the top of the sixth inning the Ichabods went to the bullpen. Newman got one hit to score one but that is all they would score as Kai Bennett left the bases loaded.
Junior Jackson Mervosh had a pair of hits with a home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over Newman. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
For a second straight inning Washburn got a leadoff homer in the bottom of the sixth, this time from Jackson Mervosh.
Easton Bruce followed with a single and Darian Duhon walked to put two on.
Connor Scott laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both 90 feet. Blake Scott picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice grounder, with one more coming around to score on an error in the field, giving Washburn the lead.
Griffin Huiatt took over on the mound in the seventh inning for Washburn and struck out the side. He continued into the eighth, stranding one with another scoreless inning. He stayed on in the ninth and finished out the game leaving one more Jet on base to secure the series victory.
Washburn out-hit Newman 7-4 in the game with each side committing one error.
The Jets did work six walks to three free passes for the home team.
Three pitchers combined to go all nine innings, led by 5.1 from Bressler who allowed three runs and struck out three. Huiatt picked up a nine-out save with six strikeouts.
At the plate Mervosh had two hits with a home run while Laessig also went yard and Duhon reached base three times with a hit and two walks.
