March 14, 2026 – Emporia State baseball tallied seven extra-base hits, including two home runs by
Frankie Santiago to seal a 12-3 win over Central Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in Edmond.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both
Colby Deaver and Broncho starter Kamden Thompson picked shutout first frames, with Central Oklahoma opening the scoring in the second inning.
The Bronchos scored two runs on three hits and a Hornet error to take the early lead. After going down in order in the third, Emporia State's response came in the top of the fourth as they picked up four runs, all of which came with two outs. RBI singles by
Brady Unrein and
Cooper Schwindt tied the game, with
Tyler Coffin doubling into the left field corner to put the Hornets ahead 4-2.
Emporia State would score again in the fifth, as
Frankie Santiago homered for the eighth time to make the score 5-2. After the Bronchos cut the lead back to two in the bottom of the fifth, Santiago came back to the plate in the sixth, and this time delivered with the bases loaded.
The switch-hitting Santiago flipped to the right side of the plate and lifted a grand slam to the right center, extending the Emporia State advantage to 9-3.
Deaver worked around a two-out double to pitch a shutout sixth frame, capping his quality start.
In the seventh,
Tyler Coffin picked up his third RBI with a single to make the score 10-3 and the final two runs came in the ninth on a wild pitch and an RBI double by
Logan Myers.
Rico Merlo,
Graeme Rios and
Alex Renfrow all pitched shutout innings over the final three to help seal the 12-3 win for Emporia State, clinching the series win for the Hornets.
UP NEXT
The series finale between Emporia State and Central Oklahoma will be on Sunday, March 15. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
NOTES
Emporia State's win on Saturday clinched their first series win over Central Oklahoma since 2019.
