April 11, 2017-In a double header rescheduled from March 31, Emporia State earned a sweep of Washburn in Topeka to take the season series three games to one. The Hornets won the matinee 7-5 in 11 innings and then won 6-1 in the nightcap.
GAME ONE
After both teams were scoreless through the first three innings, Washburn finally broke on top with solo home runs from Megan Stegman in the fourth and Erica Harper in the fifth. Emporia State got on the board with back to back bunt singles by Caitlin VanVleck and Annie Rockley to open the sixth inning. After a sac bunt moved them over Hailey Cope delivered a two out single to left that knotted the score at 2-2.
Both teams remained scoreless through the seventh, eighth and ninth innings with Hornet starter Eryn Stockman retiring 13 straight from the fifth into the ninth inning. VanVleck was placed on second to start the tenth in the international tie breaker and was able to go to third on a ground out by Rockley. Sarah Glass put the Hornets on top with an RBI single through the left side for a 3-2 lead. One out later Cope hit her second home run of the season over the fence in left for a 5-2 Hornet lead. The Ichabods answered with three of their own in the bottom of the tenth when Taylor Kemp hit a two run triple and then scored on a one out double by Stegman. After Stockman hit a batter to put two runners on base, she settled down and got two pop ups to short to send the game to the 11th inning.
With a runner placed on second to start the top of the 11th, Stockman helped her own cause with a two run home run that hit the scoreboard for a 7-5 lead. The Ichabods would get their tiebreaker runner to third on a sac bunt, but she was forced to stay at third on a ground ball to second for the second out and then Stockman ended the game by striking out Harper to pick up her 18th win of the year.
Stockman went the distance in the circle, scattering 11 hits in 11.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts while giving up four runs (the fifth run is technically a team earned run since it was placed on second in the tiebreaker). She went two for four at the plate with a double, a homer, two RBI and a run scored. Cope was two for five with a home run and four RBI.
GAME TWO
In the second game the Ichabods again struck first after a scoreless three innings. Taylor Kemp and Savannah Moore sandwiched doubles around a strikeout to give Washburn a 1-0 lead after four innings. Danielle Sprinkle tied it for the Hornets with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning and then came out to relieve starter Holly Hinkel in the circle to start the bottom of the fifth. In her first career appearance in the circle for Emporia State, she walked the first batter she faced and then retired the next three to end the inning.
A lead off walk to Caitlin VanVleck to start the sixth, followed by a one out walk to Sarah Glass and a single by Jacie Stephens loaded the bases for Hailey Cope. And like in game one she came through with a two run single to give Emporia State a 3-1 lead.
Sprinkle allowed Kemp to reach first on an error to start the sixth but again got outs from the next three batters to end the inning. Marly Carmona led off the top of the seventh with a pinch hit single and went to second on VanVleck's single. Annie Rockley hit a ground ball to short for a fielder's choice that put runners at the corners. Sarah Glass then hit a triple down the right field line that cleared the bases and came home on a throwing error by Washburn second baseman Lexie Myers for a 6-1 Hornet lead. The Ichabods got a lead off single from pinch hitter Lacie Myers but Sprinkle again got the next three batters to make outs as the Hornets swept the double header and took the season series.
Cope was two for four with two RBI while Glass went one for three with a triple, two RBI and a run scored. Sprinkle was one for two with the solo home run and picked up her first career win, allowing one hit in 3.0 scoreless innings.
The Hornets will wrap up a busy week with a trip to Bolivar and Warrensburg, Mo. this weekend. First pitch on Friday at Southwest Baptist is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
