April 12, 2026 – Emporia State baseball fell behind Missouri Southern on 7-0 at the midway point of the game, before scoring 13 unanswered runs which included an eight-run bottom of the fifth as the Hornets took the finale 13-7 over the Lions.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the third straight game, Missouri Southern scored first as they grabbed two runs in the top of the first, and then added two more in the third as they took a 4-0 advantage over the Hornets.
Emporia State tallied just one hit through the first four innings, and in the top of the fifth, Missouri Southern expanded further on their lead. The Lions scored three runs with two outs, increasing their lead to 7-0.
Grayson Barnes entered in the frame and used two pitches to halt the scoring and bring the Hornets back to the plate.
In the bottom half,
Cooper Schwindt ignited the offense with a home run on the first pitch of the inning to put Emporia State on the board.
Austin Lynn and
Logan Myers then hit consecutive singles to force a pitching change by the Lions. After the switch, Missouri Southern failed to record an out on a fielder's choice as the Hornets loaded the bases.
Noah Steele then picked up an infield single to add another run as the bases remained loaded with now outs. Two batters later,
Nathon Cruz picked up an RBI with a hit-by-pitch to make the score 7-3.
Brady Unrein followed Cruz, with a double down the left field line with two strikes as the gap closed to 7-5. Coffin then made the score 7-6 with an RBI groundout to bring Schwindt back to the plate with two outs.
For the second time in the inning, Schwindt wasted no time, taking the first pitch of the at-bat over the wall for his second homer of the inning as Emporia State took an 8-7 lead.
After taking the lead, Emporia State went to
Nick Woodcock out of the bullpen and the Whitby, Ontario native answered the call, pitching 3.0 shutout innings with a season-high six strikeouts.
The lead grew for the Hornets in the bottom of the sixth, as
Logan Myers and
Evan Abbott both singled to leadoff the frame before
Noah Steele crushed a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall to increase the lead to 11-7.
In the seventh,
Logan Myers capped the scoring with his third home run of the season to drive in two more and extend the lead to 13-7. Woodcock's final inning of work came in the top of the eighth, and after two batters reached to begin the frame, Woodcock struck out the side to push his tally to six in the game and keep the Lions off the board.
Following a scoreless bottom half by the Hornets,
Grant Huffman took over in the ninth, and despite the Lions loading the bases, picked up a double play to end the game and seal his 12th outing this season of at least one inning pitched with no earned runs allowed.
A LOOK AT THE STATS
Emporia State scored 13 runs on 12 hits, their 23rd game with double-digit hits this season.
Logan Myers and
Austin Lynn both notched three-hit games, with Myers posting his eighth of the season and Lynn recorded the first of his career.
Noah Steele and
Cooper Schwindt also recorded multi-hit games.
On the mound,
Grayson Barnes picked up his second win of the season after coming in to escape the fifth.
Nick Woodcock struck out a season-high six batters in 3.0 innings.
UP NEXT
Emporia State will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. for a midweek matchup against Missouri Western on Tuesday, April 14. First pitch between the Hornets and Griffons is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
NOTES
Brady Unrein and
Evan Abbott both stole a base on Sunday, as the pair are the first Hornet duo since 2022 (Sam Chaput and Javier Pena) with double-digit steals in a season.
Logan Myers drew a third inning walk, the 93rd of his career, to move into a tie for sixth in program history.
Myers also moved into seventh in program history with 147 runs scored after scoring three runs in the game.
