March 2, 2025 – Emporia State was unable to hold off the Central Oklahoma offense in the late innings on Sunday, as the Hornets fell to the Bronchos 7-2 at the Trusler Sports Complex.
Seth Stover got the start on the hill for the Hornets in game two and retired the Bronchos in order to get the game started. In the bottom half, Emporia State broke through with their first run. With one out,
Peyton Lewis homered for the second time this season to make the score 1-0.
Stover used his strong start to maintain the Emporia State lead, as he stranded a two-out base runner in both the second and third frames and kept Central Oklahoma out of the hit column until the top of the fifth. Despite hits against Stover in both the fifth and sixth innings, the sophomore held the 1-0 advantage for the Hornets.
Emporia State went to the bullpen in seventh inning, and the Bronchos rallied for six runs, aided in large part by a grand slam from Caden Robertson as Central Oklahoma took a 6-1 lead over the Hornets.
After a scoreless eighth for both teams, Central Oklahoma would add one more to their total, as Robertson doubled to make the score 7-1. Emporia State loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth but managed just one run on an RBI groundout from
Spencer Alexander to make the score 7-2 before the Bronchos recorded the final out.
Seth Stover earned a no-decision as he tossed 6.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts while allowing just two hits.
Emporia State managed just four hits in the game, getting an RBI from Alexander and
Peyton Lewis in the game.
TJ Racherbaumer drew two walks in the game, which puts him at 98 in his career, surpassing Steve Bartow for the fourth-most walks drawn in Emporia State history.
The series finale between the Hornets and Bronchos is set for 1:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3 at the Trusler Sports Complex.
