Baseball | 3/9/2012 10:15:00 AM
Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore
March 9, 2012 -- The #16 Emporia State baseball team rolled over Northwest Missouri 8-3 to open the four game series today in Emporia. The Hornets needed ninth inning heroics in as they came from behind for a 9-6 victory in the night cap.
In the first game ESU jumped on top 1-0 in the first inning and would not look back as they rolled to an 8-3 victory. ESU added two runs in the third inning and an Ashton McCoy grand slam led to five runs in the fourth.
At the plate McCoy led the way going two for four with five RBI as the Hornets had a grand slam for the second straight game. Rudy Weiser was two for three with two runs scored and an RBI before leaving late with an injury (Weiser would return late in game two). Joe Kornbrust and Eric Dawson also added runs batted in for the Hornets while Dorain Williams added two runs scored.
On the mound Brandon Faulkner pitched five innings of hitless baseball before surrendering four hits and three runs in the seventh inning. Faulkner added four strikeouts as he picked up his league leading third win of the season. Ben Jacks would come on and allow no hits as he closed the door in the seventh.
In game two the Hornets fell behind early as the Bearcats put up four runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. ESU would respond cuttin the lead to two runs with single tallies in the third and fourth inning. The Bearcats would answer though plating two runs in the fifth to take a 6-2 advantage. The Hornets would cut into the lead again in the seventh as they took advantage of two Bearcat errors to plate three and make it a 6-5 lead.
Neither team would score in the eighth inning and ESU held NWMSU scorless in the ninth coming to bat trailing by one run. McCoy led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Kornbrust. Dawson would drive in the game tieing run with a single through the left side. The Bearcats would then walk Zach Carlson to allow for the chance of the double play. Joe Vaskas would then hit a home run to deep left field on the first pitch he saw to give ESU the 9-6 victory.
Kornburst went two for three on the night with two runs batted in and another one scored. Vaskas finished two for five with three runs driven in and two runs scored. Dawson was two for four with two RBI and one run scored. Ashton McCoy scored two runs in the game while Tyler Buchanan, Carlson and Williams scored one.
On the mound Matt Robertson pitched 4.2 inning of relief allowing only one hit while stirking out five to earn his first win of the season.
ESU and NWMSU will face off on March 10 in a double header scheduled for 1 p.m. from Glennen Field at the Trusler Sports Complex.
Notes:
Joe Kornbrust is now on an 11 game hitting streak
Eric Dawson and Ashton McCoy hit grand slams in back to back games for ESU
The Hornets have homered in three straight games
