HORNET BASEBALL OPENS SEASON WITH 11-3 WIN AT CSU-PUEBLO

February 20, 2021-Emporia State got three first inning doubles to start the game and never looked back on the way to an 11-3 season opening win at Colorado State-Pueblo on Saturday afternoon.
 
Blake Carroll led off the season with a double and went to third on Cooper Minnick fly out to center.  Chanler Bloomer then doubled in Carroll for the first run of the season.  Noah Geekie would double in Bloomer as the Hornets took a 2-0 lead after one inning.
 
After Jared Kengott went tossed a scoreless first inning on the hill for the Hornets, Quinn Cherry led off the second with the Hornets fourth double of the game.  Jack Maki singled him to third and Kade Graff hit a sac fly to make it 3-0.
 
Cherry hit his second double of the game and the Hornets sixth of the first four innings to start the fourth.  He went to third on a ground out and scored on Graff's second sac fly.
 
The Thunderwolves got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Kodee Martin tripled in Logan Gibbons to start the inning.  Martin was then caught off third on Adrian Martinez grounder to first and was thrown out trying to score.  Cooper Minnick then gunned down Martinez attempting to steal and Kengott got his fifth strikeout to end the inning.
 
The Hornets came back with a four run inning in the top of the sixth to take control of the game.  Two CSU-Pueblo errors and another double from Maki led to three unearned runs and an 8-1 Emporia State lead going to the bottom of the sixth. Colton Crisp relieved Kengott to start the sixth on the mound for the Hornets.  After a lead-off single he got a double play and another ground out to face the minimum.
 
 The Pack got another run in the bottom of the eighth but the Hornets answered with three runs in the top of the ninth.  Minnick started things with the team's eighth double of the day and would eventually score on a single by Javier Pena.  Pena would go to second on a wild pitch and third on a balk before scoring on Geekie's RBI ground out to make it 10-2.  Maki drove in the final run with a single up the middle that plated Sam Chaput.  CSU-Pueblo scored a run on a walk, a wild pitch and two ground outs before Malachi Crone struck out Cole Knighly to end the game.
 
Jack Macki went three for four with three RBI and a run scored while Blake Carroll and Cherry Quin each had two doubles as all nine Hornets either scored a run or had an RBI.  Jared Kengott went 5.0 innings, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts to pick up the win.  Coleton Crisp and Malachi Crone each worked two innings of relief for the Hornets.
 
The two teams are back in action on Sunday afternoon for a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00 pm (MT)/1:00 pm (CT) on Rawlings Field in Pueblo, Colo.