April 25, 2015-Emporia State clinched home field for the MIAA Opening Round Series with a double header split against Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon. The Hornets could not complete a comeback in an 11-10 loss in game one and came back with a 2-0 win in the second game.
Pittsburg State got three walks in the top of the first before Christian Arnold delivered a grand slam home run to take a 4-0 lead. Price Jacobs led off the bottom of the second for the Hornets with a double and would eventually score on a ground out by Tyler Beebe. Arnold gave the Gorillas a 6-1 lead with a two run double and Garrett Brummett was replaced by Jagger Harjo. Pitt State got a single and a walk around one out before Andrew Kreiling hit the second grand slam in three innings and put the Gorillas ahead 10-1. Harjo gave up another single before getting replaced by Tevin Renken who got the Hornets out of the inning.
The Gorillas made it a ten run spread in the fifth when Sam Falcon led off with a double, went to third on a ground out and scored as he beat Dean Long's throw home. After two walks Renken was replaced for an injury and Matt Hinkley got a ground out to end the inning with the bases loaded.
Long and Koehler hit back to back doubles to start the bottom of the fifth and one out later both scored on a double by Jacobs. Cody Bobbit then walked and went to third when Levi Parker delivered an RBI single that scored Jacobs. Justin Harris, who had already extended his hitting streak to 29 games with a pair of singles, hit an RBI double to pull the Hornets within 10-5. Parker would wrap up the scoring in the fifth when he scored on a wild pitch.
After Hinkley tossed a scoreless sixth, the Hornets continued their comeback when Koehler hit a one out double. Dalton Wheat worked a pinch hit walk and both of them moved up a base on a failed pick off attempt. Jacobs walked on a wild pitch that allowed Koehler to score. Bobbit hit an RBI single and the Hornets would load the bases on a single by Parker. Jacobs scored on a ground out by Jordan Hodges and Harris reached on a fielder's choice that scored Bobbit to pull the Hornets within 11-10.
Grant Bachura started the seventh and got an out with one pitch before Shawn Talkington came in for the final two outs. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh Wheat sent a ball deep before Kreiling pulled in the line drive at the warning track to end the game.
Price went two for three with two doubles, three runs and two RBI. Harris was three for five with a double and two RBI and Koehler was three for five with two runs.
As much as the first game was a slugfest the second game was a pitching gem. Dean Long gave the Hornets a lead on a solo home run with two outs and a full count in the bottom of the first. Long drove in an insurance run in the third with another two out RBI when he singled in Parker who had led off the inning with a walk.
That would be enough for Hornet Starter Garrett Bane who threw his first complete game shut out as a Hornet. The five hitter was just the second shut out by the Hornets this year and the first complete game shutout by a Hornet since Dakota McKaskle tossed a four hitter at Lindenwood last season. Long went three for three with both RBI for the Hornets.
With the win and a split of the double header between Washburn and Neb.-Kearney the Hornets are guaranteed no worse than third in the MIAA. They will play their final regular season game on Sunday against Pittsburg State starting at 12 noon. The Emporia State seniors will be recognized prior to the game.
