March 13, 2015-The #20 Emporia State softball team ran their winning streak against Washburn to 35 games with a double header sweep of the Ichabods in Topeka on Friday. The Hornets won game one 10-6 and came back with a 6-3 win in the nightcap.
Washburn got a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first in the matinee to take an early 2-0 lead. Stephanie Goodwin cut the lead in half with an RBI single in the third. The Ichabods tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth only to see the Hornets answer with unearned run in the top of the sixth. Washburn added another run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead into the seventh.
The first three Hornets reached to open the seventh and Goodwin walked to make it four in a row and drive in a run. With one out Brenda Novelo laced a single through the right side that scored two and gave the Hornets a 5-4 lead. Kaitlyn Caston hit a sac fly to make it a 6-4 lead. Jacee Stephens doubled and Laura Seeman was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Danielle Sprinkle who hit a bases clearing double to give the Hornets a 9-4 lead. Caitlyn VanVleck then singled in Sprinkle for the Hornets tenth run.
Washburn scored two in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded when Kelsee Henry came on in relief of Caston. The freshman got a strikeout and foul out to end the game.
Sprinkle was two for three with three RBI and two runs scored while Goodwin went two for four with two runs and two RBI. Caston picked up her sixth win and Henry recorded her first save.
The Hornets got on the board first in the second game. Jessica Gragg had an RBI single and Goodwin came around to score on a fielding error that allowed Novelo to reach base in the first. Goodwin made it 4-0 Hornets in the second with a two RBI single down the left field line. Emporia State added an unearned run in the fifth to go up 5-0. Washburn answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a solo home run by Jordan Erickson and a two run double by Taylor Zimmerman.
Taylor Zordel gave the Hornets an insurance run in the top of the sixth when she singled, stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on Goodwin's groundout. After giving up three runs in the fifth, her first runs in 22.0 innings, Eryn Stockman retired the final seven Ichabods to win her sixth game of the year.
Zordel was three for four with three runs scored while Goodwin went one for three with three RBI. Stockman gave up three runs on three hits, all in the fifth inning, for the win.
The two teams travel to Emporia on Saturday for a non-conference double header at Trusler. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
