The baseball team (7-7) traveled to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, for an MIAA three-game series against Northeastern State University. This was Coach Harley Douglas’ first outing against NSU as the two teams did not play each other last season.

The Ichabods are now 3-3 in the MIAA after dropping two of three games against the RiverHawks. They lost in a close one the first game Friday, 8-7. Saturday, Washburn’s bats came to life while scoring 15 runs and scattering 16 hits. However, the Ichabods went cold falling 9-1 Sunday.

The first game saw a 7-5 Washburn lead dissipate after three straight runs by Northeastern State and eventually lost the game, 8-7.

The RiverHawks struck first in the bottom of the third inning with a two-out double breaking a scoreless game making it 1-0.

Another single put runners on first and third with two outs. Washburn pitcher Mike Hefferan could not find a way to get out of the jam as the next Northeastern hit was a three-run home run pushing the NSU lead to 4-0.

Washburn responded scoring seven runs over the course of three straight innings.

Parker Gibson got the first Ichabod hit of the game after a single up the middle.

Two costly back-to-back errors by Northeastern in the fourth inning allowed for Gibson and Kyle Carnahan to score off sac-flies and cut Northeastern’s lead to 4-2.

The momentum was beginning to change in the top of the fifth inning as Kasey Clark walked, putting Washburn’s only second baserunner of the game on base.

Zane Mapes then doubled, scoring Clark to reduce the deficit to 4-3.

In the bottom of the fifth the RiverHawks took advantage of an Ichabod error getting one run off a two-out RBI, pushing Northeastern’s lead back up to 5-3.

The sixth inning consisted of more scoring for both teams. Washburns Riley Krane singled for only the third hit of the game followed by Carnahan’s clutch 2-run blast that tied up the game 5-5.

WU ultimately took the lead 7-5 in the inning after Payton Soicher’s sac fly scored David Gauntt, and Lance Barkley scored from third on another fielding error by NSU. However three straight runs from the RiverHawks ended the Ichabods chances as they fell 8-7.

On Saturday the Ichabods evened up the series as they had a field day scoring 15 runs and scattering 21 hits. It marked the fifth game where the team has scored more then 10 runs including a 5-0 record.

Kyle Carnahan started the game off being hit-by-pitch, then scored off David Gauntt’s double. Gauntt raced home on Lance Barkley’s single while Tanner Triggs followed with an RBI single of his own, increasing Washburn’s lead 3-0, before being thrown out at second to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first Northeastern scored only one after a double and single made the score 3-1.

Back-to-back doubles by Zane Mapes and Payton Soicher pushed the the Ichabod lead back to 4-1. Parker Gibson’s base hit sent Soicher home adding to the score, 5-1.

A Northeastern home run in the third inning cut the Washburn lead to 5-2. The Ichabods continued the scoring as Gibson’s sac-fly scored one in the fifth and Payton Soicher’s 2-run home run in the sixth put Washburn ahead 8-2.

NSU would score four more times in the bottom of the sixth but it was not enough as Washburn sealed the ball game with seven straight runs, winning 15-6.

On the final day it was a game that featured leaving runners on base for Washburn and a couple big-run innings for Northeastern State.

A solo home run by the RiverHawks put Washburn down 1-0 in the second, and it grew to 2-0 in the third off a two-out RBI single by NSU.

It was a close game through six innings with NSU up 2-0, but Washburn could just buy a run, putting runners in scoring position in six innings and coming up empty every time.

Two three-run home runs in back-to-back innings increased Northeastern’s lead to 9-0 and diminished Washburn’s hopes of a comeback. The Ichabods got on the board in the ninth innning when Wes Jones’ single up the middle scored pinch runner JB Early.

The Ichabods lost 9-1.

Next up for baseball is a four-game home stand, starting with William Jewell on March 9.