Baseball | 2/19/2013 8:56:00 PM
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Box Score 2 Game One Box Score in html Game Two Box Score in html
February 19, 2013-Playing their first true road game of the season the Emporia State baseball team came from behind to defeat Northeastern State 7-5 in game one of a double header in Tahlequah, Okla. The RiverHawks won the second game 7-3.
In the matinee, Northeastern State jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning. The RiverHawks scored thanks to two wild pitches, a walk, hit batter and two run double. The Hornets got on the board in the top of the second when Luke Slagle singled in Aaron Rea and tied the score with three runs in the fourth. Jordan Slade singled with one out and came home on David Richards double. Todd Schultz tied the score with a two run home run.
The Hornets took the lead in the fifth when Ashton McCoy led off with a double and Rea singled him to third. Slade scored McCoy with a sac fly and Rea come home on a wild pitch. Schultz then picked up his third RBI of the game with a single that scored Richards.
The RiverHawks scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth to close within two runs. Zach Gove relieved starter Andrew Polly to start the sixth and pitched two shut out innings to earn the save.
Schultz was two for three with three RBI and his second home run of the season. Rea scored two runs while Blake Sturgeon was two for four in the first game. Polly went 5.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits to pick up his first win of the season.
Northeastern State took a 4-0 lead in the nightcap as well. They scored three runs on three hits in the opening frame and added another run in the third inning. Emporia State left a pair of runners on base in both the first and second innings. Slade hit a two run homer in the fourth to cut the lead in half.
After a lead off homer in the third Hornet starter Keith Picht struck out the next five batters and did not allow a run over the next 4.0 innings. Brenton Higgins came on to start the seventh and tossed a scoreless inning.
The Hornets had runners in scoring position in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth but could not push a run across. In the eighth Rea led off with a double and with one out Slagle walked to force a pitching change by NSU. Richards then hit into an inning ending double play.
Parker McDaniel came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth for the Hornets and struck out two around two RiverHawk singles before giving up a two out, three run homer for a 7-2 Northeastern State lead. The Hornets got one run back in the ninth on a McCoy RBI single but with two outs Rea flied out to end the game.
Picht suffered the loss despite scattering just six hits with seven strike outs over 6.0 innings. Slade had the two RBI homer and Todd Reller was the only Hornet with two hits in the second game.
Emporia State travels to Jefferson City, Mo. this weekend for a three game series against Lincoln. The series starts with a double header on Saturday at 12 noon.
