By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn pitchers limited Emporia State to just four singles while the Ichabod offense pounded out a season-high 19 hits en route to a 10-0 eight inning series-opening win over Emporia State on Friday.
Game 2 of the series is set for 2 p.m. Saturday.
Jack Brimacombe pitched seven innings of shutout baseball in Washburn's 10-0 run-rule win over Emporia State. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Jack Brimacombe started the game strong, needing only six pitches to retire the Hornets in order in the first inning.
The Ichabod offense got right to work in the home half of the first.
Cale Savage hit a one-out infield single and moved up to second after Cal Watkins drew a walk. Trey Adams singled to shortstop to load the bases and Ike Book also beat out an infield single to bring home the first run.
Easton Bruce kept the line moving with a single to left center that drove in two runs and Otto Jones' RBI groundout put Washburn's lead at 4-0.
Washburn (23-16 overall, 16-10 MIAA) added a run in the bottom of the second after Savage doubled to left field and then scored on Cal Watkins' single up the middle.
Emporia State (15-25, 9-16) went down in order in the top of the third and the Ichabods got right back to scoring in the bottom of the inning.
Book and Bruce hit back-to-back singles, but an unsuccessful steal resulted in one out with a runner on second.
Jones knocked in the run with a single to center field. With two outs, Shane Morrow landed a hit in left field and then Trevor McCollom recorded an RBI single to push the Ichabods' lead to 7-0.
Brimacombe had limited the Hornets to just two hits through five innings before ESU led off the sixth with a single through the right side and then an infield single, but both runners would be left stranded.
The score remained 7-0 until the bottom of the eighth. Watkins got things started with a double and scored on Adams' single. Book's single put runners on first and second and both runs made it home on Bruce's triple to deep right center that completed the run-rule victory.
Washburn had a resounding advantage in the hit column, 19-4, and the Hornets had only seven base runners overall in the contest, with one getting past second base.
All nine Ichabods in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with the top six batters in the lineup achieving a multi-hit game.
Bruce finished the contest 3-5 with four RBI and a run scored.
Book and McCollum were also 3-5 with a run driven in. Savage and Watkins each landed two hits and scored twice with Watkins drawing a walk and collecting an RBI. Brimacombe earned the win in his stellar start, going seven innings and allowing zero runs, four hits, zero walks, one hit by pitch, and six strikeouts.
Max Clark pitched a clean eighth inning with no runs, no hits, no walks and one strikeout.
