February 5, 2023 – Emporia State applied the offensive pressure early in a 7-4 win over Southwestern Oklahoma as the Hornets scored all seven runs within the first four innings.
The Hornets started their day offensively in the first at-bat of their final game of the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
Andrew Rantz led off the game with a solo home run to center field as Emporia State took a 1-0 lead over the Bulldogs.
Emporia State would double their advantage later in the first inning as
Quinton Carlberg made the score 2-0 with a two-out RBI double to right field to bring
Palmer Hutchison around to score.
Noah Geekie was able to strand a runner in the bottom of the first as the Hornets led 2-0 through one inning.
The offense continued their early charge as
Kadyn Williams and
Chandler Bloomer reached to start the second inning. After the Bulldogs were able to get the first out of the inning,
Andrew Rantz added his second RBI of the game with a double down the left field line to score Williams and put the Hornets ahead 3-0.
Emporia State was able to add three more runs in the inning as
Gibrian Pena,
Palmer Hutchison and
TJ Racherbaumer each recorded an RBI to give the Hornets a 6-0 in the first two innings.
On the mound,
Noah Geekie settled into a rhythm as he did not allow a Bulldogs hitter to reach in both the second and third innings.
Palmer Hutchison added to the Hornet lead as he hit a solo home run to center field to give Emporia State a 7-0 lead over the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs generated their first hit off of Geekie in the bottom of the fourth and tallied two base runners, but both were stranded as Geekie recorded one of his six strikeouts to end the scoring threat.
Following the fourth inning, both teams struggled to generate much offense as the score remained 7-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning.
Southwestern Oklahoma finally was able to find their way onto the scoreboard as they put together a two-out rally against the Hornets. The Bulldogs scored four runs with two outs and eventually brought the tying run to the plate as they trailed 7-4.
With a pair of runners in scoring position,
Braden Meek who entered earlier in the inning, recorded a strikeout to strand the runners and stifle the Bulldog rally as Emporia State held their 7-4 lead entering the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, Emporia State was able to get two runners on base but were unable to add to their seven-run total as the Hornets took the field in the bottom of the ninth still leading 7-4.
Greg Ross took the mound for the Hornets in the bottom of the ninth where he retired the Bulldogs in order, including with a pair of strikeouts to clinch the 7-4 win for Emporia State on the final day of the Edmond First Pitch Classic.
Palmer Hutchison went 3-4 for the Hornets with two RBI, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases.
Andrew Rantz went 2-5 with a home run and a pair of RBI while
Gibrian Pena,
Jake Bucovetsky and
Kadyn Williams joined Hutchison with two stolen bases each.
On the mound,
Noah Geekie went six innings while allowing two hits and recording six strikeouts. As a team, the Hornets recorded 12 strikeouts while allowing just three walks in the game.
Emporia State will return to action next weekend as they will host Minot State at Rock Creek High School on February 10-12. The first game of the series is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10.
