February 21, 2026 – Emporia State softball splits Saturday action at the Washburn Invitational with a 5-3 win over Minnesota Crookston before falling 2-1 against Wayne State in ten innings.
Game 1 (ESU 5, UMC 3)
Taryn Burkhardt got the scoring started right off the bat, reaching on an infield single, stealing both second and third before scoring to put the Hornets ahead 1-0.
The Golden Eagles responded with three runs in the bottom half to take the lead over the Hornets. In the second, Emporia State responded with another run, as
Addison Callaway tripled with two outs and then scored on an RBI double from
Kinsey Perine to cut the deficit in half.
Emporia State's trend of one run each inning continued in the third, scoring with two outs for the second straight frame as
Karli Wehunt singled home
Sydney Wagner to tie the score 3-3.
The Hornets finally regained the lead in the fifth, as
Brooke Flewelling and
Avery Brewer hit back-to-back homers to put Emporia State ahead 5-3.
Minnesota Crookston nearly rallied in their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh, getting two runners on with two outs before a flyball ended the game with the Hornets taking the 5-3 win in game one on Saturday.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State outhit the Golden Eagles 11-9 and got multiple hits from
Taryn Burkhardt,
Karli Wehunt and
Leslie Ramos.
Hannah Butterbaugh picked up her fifth win behind 3.0 scoreless relief innings, and
Izzy Sloan picked up the save with a shutout seventh frame.
Game 2 (WSC 2, ESU 1 – 10 inn.)
Following two scoreless innings to begin the game,
Addison Callaway led off the third with a single and later came in to score and give the Hornets a 1-0 advantage. Wayne State would answer in the fifth with a run of their own to lock the two teams in a stalemate over the next several innings.
Both the Hornets and Wildcats were unable to score in the eighth and ninth innings before Wayne State broke the deadlock with a run in the tenth to grab the 2-1.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State managed just five hits while the Hornet pitched allowed just one earned run and picked up six strikeouts in 9.2 innings.
UP NEXT
The Washburn Invitational will wrap up on Sunday, February 22 with two games for Emporia State against Drury and Rockhurst. First pitch against the Panthers to open the day is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.