By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Nothing really came easy for Washburn's baseball team in its weekend MIAA series against Newman, but after dropping a one-run game to the Jets on Friday, the Ichabods rebounded on Senior Day Saturday with a pair of 7-6 victories, the second in 11 innings, to clinch their fourth straight series win.
Cole Emerson (28) is congratulated by his Washburn teammates after scoring in the Ichabods' 7-6 first-game win over Newman Saturday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Washburn took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third in Saturday's first game, with catcher Kros Bay a doubling and scoring on a wild pitch and Cole Emerson getting hit by a pitch, stealing second base and scoring on Eric Hinostroza's run-scoring single.
Newman capitalized on two Washburn errors to take a 3-2 lead and went up 5-2 in the fifth on a two-run homer from Hayden Van DePol.
Washburn began its rally in the bottom of the fifth with a run-scoring sacrifice fly from Parker Dunn and a run-scoring single from Brett Ingram and the Ichabods tied the game 5-5 in the seventh when Peter Shearer plated the tying run with a sacrifice fly.
Newman reclaimed the lead in the top of the eighth, but Shawnee Heights product Emerson walked to open the bottom of the eighth and scored the tying run on back-to-back wild pitches.
Hinostroza singled to right center, stole second base and went to third on a throwing error before scoring the game-winning run on Zion Bowlin's groundout.
Washburn Rural proeuct Dalton Huggins earned his first career win after working the eighth inning and Braden Minor came on to pitch the ninth for Washburn and recorded a 1-2-3 inning in seven pitches to get the save.
Ichabod starting pitcher Brock Gilliam worked the first seven innings in his no-decision, throwing 137 pitches and allowing six runs (four earned) and four hits and four walks while tying a career-best 13 strikeouts.
Hinostroza and Bay both went 2 for 4 at the plate in the first game and scored once. Ingram was also 2 for 4 and drove in a run while Emerson scored three runs and drew two walks.
Washburn, 16-20 overall and 15-15 in the MIAA, fell behind 5-0 in the nightcap after four and a half innings, but the Ichabods loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth and Xavier De Leon knocked in two runs with a single.
De Leon scored on Hinostroza's double and Bowlin singled to plate another run to cut WU's deficit to 5-4.
The Ichabods took their first lead of the game in the seventh after back-to-back RBI singles from Bowlin and Dunn but Newman (8-21, 7-20 MIAA) scored the tying run in the top of the ninth.
Still locked in a 6-6 tie, Casey Steward entered the game as Washburn's pitcher in the 11th and recorded a 1-2-3 inning.
Wyatt Featherston led off the bottom of the 11th with an infield single, stole second base and went to third on Newman's throwing error before De Leon ended the game with a walkoff single to left field.
De Leon played a part in five of Washburn's seven runs, going 4 for 6 at the plate and driving in three runs while scoring twice.
Bowlin had two hits and two RBI and Featherston was 3 for 4 with two runs scored, including the game-winner.
Steward picked up the win to improve to 2-1 after Brant Bennett threw a scoreless 10th inning and Connor Bond threw 2.1 scoreless innings and allowed just one hit with three strikeouts after coming on in the fifth.
The Ichabods will wrap up the regular season next weekend on the road at Northwest Missouri starting with a doubleheader on Friday at noon.
FIRST GAME
WASHBURN 7, NEWMAN 6
Newman 000 320 010 -- 6 6 2
Washburn 002 020 12x -- 7 9 2
Gilliam, Huggins (8), Minor (9) and Bay. Schumann, Thoreson (7), Lecki (8) and Bajza. W -- Huggins (1-0). L -- Thoreson (2-2). Save -- Minor. 2B -- Newman: Austin. Washburn: Bay. HR -- Newman: VanDePol.
SECOND GAME
WASHBURN 7, NEWMAN 6 (11 innings)
Newman (8-21, 7-20) 201 020 001 00 -- 6 13 1
Washburn (16-20, 15-15) 000 040 200 01 -- 7 14 0
Langrell, Wittau (7) and Bajza. McElwee, Bond (5), Philbin (8), Minor (9), Bennett (10), Stewart (11) and Bay. W -- Steward (2-1). L -- Wittau (0-2). 2B -- Newman: Beard, Bajza, Hargove. Washburn: Hinostroza, Bay Featherson.
