March 16, 2025 – Emporia State baseball clinches the series over Rogers State in walk-off fashion with a 9-8 win in ten innings over the Hillcats on Sunday afternoon.
Hornet starter
Cade Barton and Hillcat starter Christopher Spry both took control of the game on the mound in the first inning, as both teams were held to just one hit each through the first four frames on Sunday.
Rogers State got the first breakthrough, scoring two runs off of Barton with the help of three runs and an error to take a 2-0 lead over Emporia State. In the bottom half of the inning, Emporia State quickly answered back.
Sammy Padilla led off the inning with an infield single and was followed by bunt singles from
Brady Unrein and
Elijah Reeves to load the bases with no outs. After the first out of the inning,
Peyton Lewis delivered a grand slam to left field, his fifth home run of the season, to give Emporia State a 4-2 advantage.
Barton retired Rogers State in order in the sixth, and Emporia State added to their total as
Brady Unrein drove in
Cooper Schwindt with an RBI double to extend the Hornet lead to 5-2. Barton would complete his afternoon in the seventh, as he again retired the Hillcats in order.
The Hillcats would trim the Hornet lead in the eighth as a two-out, two-run homer by Ramirez made the score 5-4. The Hornets responded by doubling their advantage in the bottom half, as a two-out single by
Elijah Reeves through the left side made the score 6-4 heading to the ninth.
In the ninth, the Hillcats used two throwing errors and two hits, including a two-run home run by Mitchell to reclaim a 7-6 lead. In the bottom half, the Hillcats picked up a pair of strikeouts before
Jovanni Toledo delivered a two-out, pinch-hit home run to tie the game 7-7 and force extra innings.
Rogers State would again take the lead in the tenth, as a home run by Romero with two outs put the Hillcats ahead 8-7. Emporia State, again down to their last at-bat, would again respond.
Sammy Padilla worked back in the count to draw a one-out walk to set up
Brady Unrein, who wasted no time, taking the first pitch of the at-bat over the centerfield wall to clinch the 9-8 walk-off win to claim the series victory over Rogers State.
Cade Barton pitched 7.0 innings while allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out five. For Barton, his 7.0 innings pitched marks the ninth outing over the past two season of at least 6.0 innings pitched.
Ian Lanik pitched the tenth and earned his first win of the season.
At the plate, the Hornets had 12 hits, with four batters tallying multi-hit games, including
Brady Unrein who went 3-5 with two runs scored and three RBI, with two on his walk-off home run in the tenth.
Peyton Lewis drove in four on his fifth-inning grand slam.
Emporia State will continue their home stand on Tuesday, March 18 as they begin the first of two MIAA midweek series' on the season. The Hornets will take on Missouri Western with first pitch set for 3:00 p.m. at the Trusler Sports Complex.
