February 21, 2021-Emporia State baseball scored 13 runs on the day but allowed a total of eight unearned runs as they were swept in a double header at Colorado State-Pueblo on Sunday. The Hornets fell 5-3 in the matinee and 11-10 in walk off fashion in the night cap.
In the first game the Thunderwolves got on the board first when Aidan Welch reached on an error by
Jack Maki. He would score on a triple by Logan Gibbons and then Gibbons came home on a ground out by Reggie Williams for a 2-0 CSU-P lead after two innings. The Pack made it 3-0 with another unearned run in the third inning when Mike Gonzalez singled with two outs and scored when Gibbons reached on another error by Maki at third.
The Hornets had five walks through the first four innings but did not get their first hit until
Chanler Bloomer homered to right field with two outs in the fifth. The Thunderwolves got two more unearned runs in the fifth. Adrian Martinez reached to lead off the inning on the third error of the game by the Hornets and scored on a triple by Ty Lewis. With one out Welch hit a sac fly to score Lewis and make it 5-1.
Maki led off the top of the seventh with a triple and with one out scored on
Blake Carroll's home run to right.
Cooper Minnick was then hit by a pitch to bring the tying run to the plate but Bloomer and Pena both flew out to end the game.
Jake Barton was saddled with the loss, giving up five runs but only one earned on six hits with six strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
Blake Carroll,
Chanler Bloomer and
Jack Maki were the only Hornets to record a hit with Carroll and Bloomer both getting home runs.
In the second game
Brady Michel got the scoring started for the Hornets when he doubled to center, advanced to second on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch in the top of the second. The Thunderwolves answered with a run in the bottom of the frame when Gibbons doubled and with one out came home when Kodee Martin reached on an error by Kade Graff at shortstop.
Bloomer led off the top of the third with a walk and went to third on
Noah Geekie's single through the right side.
Sam Chaput hit a sac fly to right to put the Hornets back out in front and Maki singled down the left field line to score Geekie and make it 3-1. CSU-Pueblo tied it up in the bottom of the inning with two outs. Lewis singled and scored on a triple by Gonzalez. Welch then singled to right field to tie the game at 3-3 after three.
Quinn Cherry led off the top of the fifth for Emporia State with a walk and went to third on a double by Geekie. Chaput followed with a single that plated Cherry and broke the tie. Michel then singled to center to score Geekie and make it 5-3. Graff gave the Hornets a 6-3 lead when Chaput scored on a sac fly. The Pack got another two out run in the bottom of the fifth when Gonzalez singled and Welch doubled him in to make it 6-4 after five innings.
Emporia State added four runs in the top of the sixth. Minnick was hit by a pitch to lead things off then Bloomer singled to left and Cherry beat out a bunt to load the bases. Geekie hit a high chopper back to the pitcher that he was able to beat out and Minnick scored to make it 7-4. With one out Michel got a two RBI single up the middle and was followed by a Maki delivering an RBI double to right as the Hornets took a 10-4 lead to the bottom of the sixth. With two outs in the bottom of the inning Williams reached on a bunt single and went to second on a wild pitch. He scored on Cody Beck's single to center to pull CSU-P within 10-5.
A walk by Bloomer was all the offense Emporia State could get in the top of the seventh and they went to the bottom of the frame with a 10-5 lead.
Austin Neal started the inning on the mound and gave up a lead off homer to Lewis.
Hayden Schaeffer then relieved Neal and got Gonzalez to line out before giving up a walk to Welch and a single to Gibbons. With two on and one out
Alex DeBey came on and got a ground out that allowed Gibbons and Welch to move up a base. Kodee Martin and Williams both worked walks to force in Welch and make it 10-7. With the bases loaded and two outs DeBey struck out Brock Rodriguez but the ball got away from Minnick. The Hornet catcher used his mask to stop the ball and step on home plate to apparently end the game. However, touching the ball with a catcher's mask is an automatic two base error and that allowed Martin and Gibbons to score while Williams went to third and Rodrigues was awarded second base. Martinez then hit high chopper to short and Graff's throw to first sailed wide. With both runners off on contact they both scored giving the Thunderwolves the 11-10 walk off win.
Noah Geekie was three for three with three runs and an RBI while
Brady Michel went three for three with three RBI and a run scored. Jack Macki was two for four with two RBI while
Chanler Bloomer and
Quinn Cherry each scored two runs on one hit with two walks each.
Drew Repp got the start and went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
Alex DeBey got the loss, giving up three unearned runs on one hit and two walks.
For the game nine of CSU-P's 11 runs came with two outs.
The Hornets will try to salvage a split of the four game series on Monday. First pitch from Rawlings Field in Pueblo, Colo. is set for 2:00 pm (CT).
