EMPORIA STATE BASEBALL SPLITS WITH MISSOURI WESTERN ON SATURDAY

April 17, 2021-Emporia State split a double header with Missouri Western on Saturday, winning the first game 5-1 before falling 6-4 in ten innings in the nightcap.
 
Game One
Emporia State scored twice in the third inning and that would be enough as Jake Barton and Jarrett Seaton combined to hold Missouri Western to one run in a 5-1 Hornet victory.

Brigham Mooney led off the bottom of the third with a double and went to third on Quinn Cherry's single. After Cherry stole second Noah Geekie hit a sac fly as Mooney scored and Cherry went to third. Blake Carroll followed with an RBI ground out as Emporia State took a 2-0 lead.

The Griffons would cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Maurice Bruce manufactured a run. He hit a one out single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Colby Tam to make it 2-1.

The Hornets picked up two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on a Brady Michel two run home run to left field that plated Chandler Bloomer and gave Emporia State a 4-1 lead after six.
Missouri Western threatened in the top of the seventh when Tam led off with a single and with two outs Iasid Bernal walked to bring the tying run to the plate.  Seaton came on in relief of Barton and got a ground ball to shortstop for a force out to end the inning.

Mooney made it 5-1 with a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh and Seaton tossed two shutout innings to get the save.

Michel was two for three with two RBI, a run scored and a home run while Mooney went two for two with an RBI, two runs scored and a home run. Barton allowed one run on five hits with ten strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 innings to pick up the win.  Seaton tossed 2.1 shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks for the save.
 
Game Two
Emporia State rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth before Missouri Western got a two run homer in the tenth to take a 6-4 victory.

The Griffons scored first on an Alex Crouch home run in the first inning.  The Hornets tied it on an RBI single from Brigham Mooney with one out in the second. Emporia State had runners on second and third with one out but would leave them stranded.

The Hornets took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third.  With one out Cooper Minnick reached on an infield single when he hit a rocket back to Griffon pitcher Brock Wrolstad.  Minnick was retired when Chandler Bloomer reached on a fielder's choice but Brady Michel and Sam Chaput followed with walks to load the bases.  Jack Maki reached on a slow roller to third that allowed Bloomer to score to make it 2-1, but the Hornets would leave the bases loaded on a fly out by Mooney.

Gustavo Gonzalez led off the top of the fourth with a homer to leftfield to tie the score.  With two outs Bailey Crump delivered an RBI single that gave the Griffons a 3-2 lead. 

Missouri Western added a run in the top of the eighth to go up 4-2.  Jarrett Seaton came on to relieve Zachary Ebert, who had worked a scoreless seventh, and got two strikeouts around a walk to Colby Tam.  With two outs Ben Tsui singled to center scoring Tam.  Bailey Crump followed with a single to chase Seaton. Colton Crisp entered the game and got Reid Briney to fly out then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to keep it at 4-2.

Trailing by two going to the bottom of the ninth Blake Carroll cut the deficit in half with a leadoff homer to right center.  Minnick hit a line drive right at the shortstop for the first out before Bloomer Bloomer struck out. Michel walked and Robert Farrell replaced Jacob Standridge on the mound for the Griffons.  Chaput tied the game and almost won it with a double off the base of the wall in right center that scored Carroll from first. He would be left at second as the game went to extra innings.

With one out in the top of the tenth, Colby Tam singled and Maurice Bruce hit a two run homer to give the Griffons a 6-4 lead. The Hornets then went down in order in the bottom of the tenth.

Chaput was three for four with a walk, an RBI and a run scored while Blake Carroll went two for five with an RBI and run scored on a home run.  Jared Kengott went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts in the no decision.  Crisp took the loss allowing two runs on three hits in 2.1 innings with three strikeouts.
 
The two teams will play the deciding game of the series on Sunday afternoon with the first pitch from the Trusler Sports Complex set for 12:00 p.m.