EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL ENDS SEASON AT NCAA TOURNAMENT

May 22, 2016-Playing their fourth game in four days, Emporia State gave up ten runs in the last three innings of an 18-7 loss to #24 Ark.-Monticello in the NCAA Central Region Tournament on Sunday in St. Cloud, Minn.
 
The Boll Weevils got on the board with one run in the top of the first but the Hornets responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Dalton Wheat and Jonny Hodges led off with back to back singles.  Tucker Perkins hit a sac fly to plate Wheat and LaMunyon followed with a single to score Hodges and give the Hornets a 2-1 lead.
 
Ark.-Monticello got a pair of solo home runs in the top of the third to tie the game but Emporia State responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.  Hodges led off with a double and came home on Wade Hanna's single to make it 3-3.
 
The Weevils retook the lead with three runs in the top of the fourth and added two more in the top of the fifth to take an 8-3 lead.  The first two batters of the bottom of the fifth were retired before Daniel LaMunyon was hit by a pitch.  Derek Francis followed with a single and Hanna was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Aaron Gile, making just his third start of the season, then delivered a triple into the left center gap that cleared the bases and pulled the Hornets within two runs. 
 
Matt Slauter, the Hornets fourth pitcher of the day, got a shutdown inning in the sixth as he retired the Weevils in order.  Wheat was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the sixth, stole second and went to third on Hodges single to left.  With runners on the corners Perkins hit a ground ball up the middle that scored Wheat. UAM could not get the runner out at second and the Hornets had two on with one out.  After a foul out Francis worked a walk to load the bases.  Hanna then sent a drive to right that was hauled in to end the threat and leave the bases loaded.
 
Nick Cerda led off the top of the seventh with a home run to give UAM a 9-7 lead.  After a strike out and ground out, Slauter gave up a walk and bunt single.  Tyler Stubblefield then came on in relief after throwing a complete game shut out on Thursday.  Corey Wood then hit his second home run of the game to give the Weevils a 12-7 lead.
 
Ark.-Monticello would add six runs in the top of the nith on six hits to go up 18-7.  Emporia State got back to back singles from LaMunyon and Francis followed by a walk to Hanna to load the bases.  UAM's Ben Aldridge then got two strikeouts and a ground out to end the game and eliminate the Hornets from the NCAA Tournament.
 
Hodges was three for five for the Hornets with two runs scored while LaMunyon and Francis each went two for four.  Emporia State used seven pitchers in the game with Tevin Renken taking the loss.
 
Emporia State ended the season 39-19 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 11^th time in 13 years.  They won two games in St. Cloud, the fifth time they have won at least two games in the NCAA Tournament.  The Hornets are set to return five of the eight position players that started the final game and ten position players that started at least 20 games this year.

NOTES
The 18 runs are the most surrendered in a game by Emporia State since a 23-10 loss to Pittsburg State on March 16, 2012 and the most ever given up by the Hornets in an NCAA Tournament game.