February 23, 2025 – Emporia State baseball struggled offensively and was unable to contain the Pittsburg State bats as the Hornets fell 15-1 in game one and 7-3 in game two of Sunday's road doubleheader against the Gorillas.
Game 1 (PSU 15, ESU 1)
Pittsburg State got the game started with four runs in the first, which included three doubles as the Gorillas jumped in front of the Hornets 4-0.
Following a scoreless second inning, Emporia State got on the board in the third frame with a pair of two-out hits.
TJ Racherbaumer reached for the second time in two at-bats with a double to center before scoring on an RBI single by
Noah Steele to make the score 4-1.
The Gorillas offense responded with an eight-run bottom half, expanding their lead to 12-1 as the inning included five hits, three walks and a hit-by-pitch.
Solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings extended the Pittsburg State lead to 14-1 through five frames.
Emporia State nearly put more runs on the board in the top of the sixth, as they loaded the bases with two outs but the left all three runners on. Pittsburg State added one more in the bottom half, and the Hornets were retired in order in the seventh as the Gorillas took game one.
Five different Hornets had a hit and
TJ Racherbaumer and
Cooper Schwindt both reached base twice with Racherbaumer scoring the lone Emporia State run.
Game 2 (PSU 7, ESU 3)
For the second time on Sunday,
TJ Racherbaumer was the Hornets' first baserunner, as he hit a ground-rule double to left center with two outs in the first inning but was left stranded to keep the score 0-0.
The Gorillas were retired in order in the first, and so were the Hornets in the top of the second before Pittsburg State jumped in front in the bottom half. Four hits, including a trio of doubles resulted in two runs for the Gorillas to build an early 2-0 lead. Both teams were set down in order until Pittsburg State came up in the fourth, as a triple and an RBI groundout extended the score to 3-0.
Pittsburg State added four runs over the next three innings, as Emporia State trailed 7-0 heading to the eighth. The Hornets would finally find their way onto the scoreboard in the final two innings.
In the eighth,
Logan Myers recorded a pinch-hit double to leadoff the inning, and came in to score on an RBI double by
Dominic Felix with one out. Following a 1-2-3 eighth inning for Pittsburg State, Emporia State would add two more in the ninth.
TJ Racherbaumer led off the inning with his second double of the game, and third of the doubleheader, and after a single by
Noah Steele to put runners on the corners, Myers delivered his second extra-base hit in as many innings, ripping a triple into the right-center gap to score two runs.
The Hornets couldn't rally any further, as they fell in game two 7-3.
TJ Racherbaumer,
Logan Myers, and
Dominic Felix each had two hits, while Myers had two RBI and Felix added one of his own.
Emporia State will take on Pittsburg State in the series finale on Monday, February 24 with first pitch between the Hornets and Gorillas scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
