March 15, 2026 – Emporia State baseball, despite out hitting Central Oklahoma 11-6 on the afternoon, fell 10-6 in the series finale against the Bronchos.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Emporia State broke through in the first frame, as RBI from
Nathon Cruz and
Brady Unrein put the Hornets ahead 2-0. Central Oklahoma would eventually take the lead in the second, as they used one walk, two bunts and then a double to score three runs and move ahead of the Hornets 3-2.
The Hornets had a pair of two-out singles in the top of the third but were unable to continue the rally to add to their total. In the bottom half, the Bronchos added four runs to their tally, using two hit batters and two hits, including a three-run home run as their lead grew to 7-2 through the first three frames.
Both teams scored one in the fifth as the Bronchos held an 8-3 advantage, before Emporia State trimmed the gap to just two in the top of the sixth.
Cooper Schwindt and
Logan Myers both reached base, and then with two outs
Frankie Santiago homered to drive in three and make the score 8-6.
Emporia State eventually loaded the bases after the Santiago home run but were unable to add any more runs. Central Oklahoma answered back with lone runs in the sixth and seventh innings to increase their lead to 10-6 heading to the final two innings.
The Hornets could not generate any more scoring chances in their last three times at the plate, as Central Oklahoma held on to take the finale 10-6.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Logan Myers went 4-5, picking up his third four-hit game of the season.
Noah Steele went 3-4 and
Evan Abbott went 2-5 for multi-hit games of their own.
Frankie Santiago's sixth-inning home run was his third in the last two games and tenth this season.
On the mound, six walks and two hit batters proved costly for the Hornets as the Bronchos needed just six hits to push across ten runs.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. for their first MIAA midweek matchup of the season as they take on Missouri Western on Wednesday, March 18. First pitch between the Hornets and Griffons is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
