April 12, 2022 – Emporia State rallies for 11-10 walk-off win against Pittsburg State on Tuesday night from Glennen Field.
The Hornets would strike first in the bottom of the second. After the first two batters in the inning went down, four consecutive walks were drawn by Emporia State with
Mason Sturdy drawing his with the bases loaded to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead. This brought
Sam Chaput to the plate and with two strikes he singled up the middle to score a pair of runs and give Emporia State a 3-0 lead over Pittsburg State.
On a windy night from Glennen Field, the home run ball would play a major role and it paid off for the Gorillas as they would score three runs in the third inning in large part to a pair of solo home runs. After the Hornets were set down in the bottom half of the inning, the Gorillas hit two more home runs and recorded a sacrifice fly to take 6-3 lead over the Hornets.
Emporia State remained silent at the plate until the final two innings. In the eighth, trailing 7-3, the Hornets did some damage with two outs. With two outs,
Dylan Werries came to the plate with a runner on first base and doubled down the left field line to put two runners into scoring position.
Kadyn Williams then came through for Emporia State with a two RBI single back up the middle to cut the deficit in half to 7-5.
The strong winds would harm the Hornets one final time in the top of the ninth inning as the Gorillas would score three runs on the back of two more home runs to take a 10-5 lead into the final frame for Emporia State.
Mason Sturdy started the rally on the first pitch he saw with a leadoff single into right field.
Sam Chaput then gave the Hornets their first home run of the night to make the score 10-7 and force the Gorillas into a pitching change. Emporia State kept the pressure on as
Javier Pena drew a walk and was followed by
Blake Carroll driving a single into right field.
Quinn Cherry came up to pinch-hit for the Hornets and worked the count full before being hit by a pitch and forcing another Pittsburg State pitching change. Tanner Lane was able to record one strikeout before
Dylan Werries cam back to the plate. After taking a strike, Werries drove the next pitch to straightaway center field for a walk-off grand slam, giving the Hornets the 11-10 win over the Gorillas.
At the plate,
Sam Chaput went 2-5 with four RBI and a run scored.
Dylan Werries went 2-4 with four RBI, three runs scored and a walk.
Kadyn Williams went 1-3 with two RBI and a walk.
Blake Carroll went 3-5 with a run scored and a triple that makes him tied for sixth in career triples at Emporia State.
Emporia State will remain home this week as they will take on Washburn April 14-16 from Glennen Field. First pitch on Thursday, April 14 is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
