The No. 14 Emporia State baseball team couldn’t keep up with No. 10 Central Oklahoma’s offensive firepower on Tuesday, as the Hornets fell 19-5 to the Bronchos in Edmond, Okla.
ESU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but UCO answered immediately.
The Bronchos scored one in the first, three in the second, two in the third and five in the fourth to build an 11-5 lead.
For good measure, UCO added six runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth.
The Hornets were led offensively by Conner Crumbliss, who went 3-for-6 with a run scored. Brian Majors and Richie Steward contributed two hits each, while Keith Hernandez added a home run — his second of the season.
Starter Brendan Higgins took the loss, allowing eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.
ESU (2-1) will play at home for the first time this weekend. The Hornets are scheduled to face North Dakota at 3 p.m. Friday in a nine-inning game at Trusler Sports Complex. It will be the first of five scheduled home games for ESU between Friday and Sunday.
Tuesday at Edmond, Okla.
UCO 19, ESU 5
No. 14 ESU 202 100 000 — 5 11 1
No. 10 UCO 132 500 62X — 19 23 1
W — Draper. L — Higgins.
E — ESU: Lane; UCO: Pollock. DP — ESU 1. LOB — ESU 14, UCO 5. 2B — UCO: Yost, McIntyre, Carroll. 3B — UCO: McIntyre, Moctezuma, Draper. HR — ESU: Hernandez; UCO: Draper 2, Carroll, Foshee. HBP — ESU: Hernandez, Carlson, Anderson; UCO: Schoonover. SH — UCO: Covington. SF — ESU: Hernandez; UCO: Moctezuma, Draper. SB — ESU: Crumbliss 2, Majors; UCO: Schoonover, Carroll, Covington, Foshee.