March 23, 2025 – Emporia State baseball took a first inning lead for the second straight game and used the strong start to clinch 10-5 win on Sunday over Newman, the first series sweep for the Hornets since 2021.
After a shutdown first frame by Hornet starter
Cade Barton, Emporia State got the scoring started in the bottom half as
Logan Myers worked a 3-1 count before lifting his fifth homerun of the season over the right field wall, giving the Hornets an early 1-0 advantage.
Barton worked around a two-out walk in the second, just the first he's allowed this season, to maintain the 1-0 lead. Emporia State was able to load the bases with two outs in the second, and a throwing error by Newman gifted the Hornets two runs to improve the lead to 3-0.
The score remained 3-0 over the next two innings, before Newman took advantage of a defensive miscue by Emporia State to grab two runs of their own, making the score 3-2.
Emporia State quickly rebuilt their lead, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Following a one-out walk by
Noah Steele,
Cooper Schwindt doubled into the gap to score Steele from first, making the score 4-2. An RBI double from
Jovanni Toledo and an RBI single by
Brady Unrein added two more to the total as the Hornets led 6-2 heading to the sixth.
Cade Barton retired the Jets in order in the sixth, completing his outing with no earned runs allowed.
In the seventh, after a scoreless inning on the mound from
Nick Woodcock, the Hornets added three more to their tally.
Brady Unrein followed a leadoff single by
Sammy Padilla with his sixth home run of the season, and
Cooper Schwindt rounded out the inning with a two-out double to make the score 9-2.
Two hits and two walks in the eighth inning by the Jets pushed across three runs for Newman as the lead was trimmed to 9-5. The Hornets rounded out the scoring in the bottom half, as an infield single by
Logan Myers scored Toledo and Emporia State led 10-5 heading to the ninth.
Ryan Sauter picked up the final three outs of the game, including a strikeout to end the ninth as the Hornets picked up the 10-5 win, completing the series sweep over the Jets.
For Emporia State, the sweep over Newman is first sweep over an MIAA opponent since 2021.
Logan Myers,
Cooper Schwindt, and
Brady Unrein each tallied three hits in the game, with Unrein tallying three RBI while Myers and Schwindt each drove in two runs of their own.
Cade Barton pitched 6.0 innings, allowing no earned runs to earn his third win of the season. Barton's start of 6.0 innings marks the tenth start over the past two seasons in which he has totaled 6.0 or more innings pitched.
Emporia State moved to 14-10 on the season and 7-6 in the MIAA, winning their ninth game in the last ten. The Hornets will be back in action on Tuesday, March 25 as they travel west to begin their midweek series against Fort Hays State. First pitch against the Tigers is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
