April 26, 2025 – Emporia State struggled offensively on Saturday, tallying just three hits, and falling 3-0 against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams were retired in order in the first inning and the first runner of the game came from the Hornets as
TJ Racherbaumer reached in the second inning but was unable to come around to score.
In the third, the Lions finally pushed across a run against Hornet starter
Seth Stover to take a 1-0 advantage.
Brady Unrein drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half, but the Hornets didn't advance past first in the inning.
Noah Steele singled in the fourth, and despite stealing second base, was stranded in scoring position as the score remained 1-0.
After Stover retired the Lions in order in the fifth, the Hornets advanced a runner to third base, but were cut down at the plate to keep the score at 1-0.
Arkansas-Fort Smith eventually got to Stover again the seventh, getting two on with two outs before the Hornets went to the bullpen. The Hornets allowed one inherited runner to score as the deficit doubled to 2-0.
Emporia State drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half, but the runner was quickly erased with a double play for the second consecutive inning. In the eighth, the Lions added one more to their total, as the lead swelled to 3-0.
Brady Unrein reached on a leadoff walk in the bottom half, the fourth straight inning Emporia State opened the inning with a baserunner.
Following a pinch-hit single by
Sammy Padilla to put runners on the corners, the Lions retired the next two batters to bring
Noah Steele to the plate. Steele was then intentionally walked for the second consecutive plate appearance, and the Lions escaped the bases loaded with a groundout to end the frame.
The Lions failed to add to their total, and the Hornets went down in order in their last chance at the plate, as Emporia State fell 3-0.
Seth Stover picked up his fifth quality start, allowing two runs over 6.2 innings and match his career-high with five strikeouts.
Emporia State managed just three hits in the game and drew six walks but left seven runners on base and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position. The rubber match between the Hornets and Lions is set for Sunday, April 27 at Turnbull Field with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
