Hornets use long ball to dispatch of Washburn, 15-11
By Michael Ashford (Contact)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia State's Eric Shortell, left, congratulates Keith Hernandez after Hernandez hit his second home run of the night, a two-RBI shot in the fourth inning, to help lift the Hornets to a 15-11 victory over Washburn on Friday night.
Glennen Field at the Trusler Sports Complex was as hitter friendly as Emporia State baseball coach Bob Fornelli had ever seen it on Friday night, and the Hornets made sure to take advantage against Washburn.
With a gusty west-to-east breeze blowing out to right, the No. 6 Hornets used four home runs to stave off Washburn, 15-11, to take the first game of the final regular-season series for both teams.
“In five years, that’s the hardest the wind’s blown in that direction out to right field like it was,” Fornelli said. “I thought we swung the bats well with it.”
Two of Emporia State’s homers came off the bat of Keith Hernandez.
The senior catcher hit a second-inning grand slam and then knocked out a two-run shot in the fourth, finishing his day 2-for-3 with eight RBI and three runs scored.
Anthony Dreiling followed Hernandez’s grand slam in the second with a solo home run, while Eric Shortell hit his 19th long ball of the season in the sixth to move to within one of tying the MIAA single-season record.
“You dream of days like this,” Hernandez said. “I thought the hitters came out and did their jobs. We continued to battle and battle and battle, and when you get 15 runs and 12 hits, that’s an awesome day.”
ESU needed all of that firepower to dispose of a pesky Washburn squad that answered almost every time the Hornets tried to pull away, as the Ichabods were helped by a pair of homers of their own thanks to some shaky ESU pitching.
Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia State's Tyler Appelhans, shown here releasing a pitch, picked up the win despite giving up eight runs in six innings Friday night against Washburn.
“Our pitching was not where it needed to be today,” Fornelli said. “But credit Washburn’s offense. Their kids hit the ball when they needed to.”
ESU began the game by scoring three runs in the first before Hernandez and Dreiling’s homers powered the Hornets to a five-run second inning.
Hernandez’s first blast of the game came after Conner Crumbliss and Brian Majors both singled and Eric Shortell was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hernandez drove an 0-1 offering from Washburn starter Brett Sorensen over the left-center wall to put ESU ahead, 7-0.
Hernandez had barely reached the dugout after his trot around the bases when Dreiling drove his solo shot to almost the exact same spot, putting the Hornets up, 8-0.
“I got into the dugout, and I hear the crack of the bat,” Hernandez said. “I turn around and (Dreiling) is running around the bases.”
However, after throwing a perfect first two innings, ESU starter Tyler Applehans ran into trouble in the third and fourth innings, allowing Washburn to score four runs in each frame to tie the game at 8 heading into the bottom half of the fourth.
In the third, the Ichabods got back-to-back homers of their own, the first on a three-run shot by Joe Hosey and the second on a solo homer by Luis Beltran Lopez.
Then, in the fourth, Applehans struggled with his location, as he walked two batters, hit another and allowed two hits to go with an ESU error, as Washburn plated another four runs.
“I felt good through the first two, and then I don’t know what happened in the third and fourth,” Applehans said. “I just lost it. I got lazy and gave up a lot of runs, and I shouldn’t have.”
The Hornet bats didn’t stay quiet for long, though, as Hernandez’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth put ESU ahead for good.
“I know Applehans kind of struggled today, but he knows that our offense is powerful enough to where he doesn’t have to be perfect,” Hernandez said. “We should be able to score runs behind him no matter what. It felt good to help him out and get him out of a little bit of a jam.”
Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia State's Andy Anderson runs for first base in the bottom of the second inning during ESU's game against Washburn on Friday.
Emporia State plated single runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings before Washburn tagged ESU reliever Aaron Burris with three runs in the seventh to pull back to within 12-11, but a three-run eighth sealed the deal for the Hornets.
“I thought the bottom of the eighth was huge,” Fornelli said. “If it goes into the ninth inning at 12-11, that’s a whole different game. We were fortunate enough to push across three runs that inning and pretty much determine the game at that point.”
Applehans earned the victory, going six innings while giving up eight runs on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Burris picked up the save in three innings of work.
Dreiling and Kevin Wempe each went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI each, while Majors went 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
Emporia State travels to Topeka to take on Washburn in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. today before coming back to Emporia for the final game of the series at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Emporia State 15, Washburn 11
Friday at Trusler Sports Complex
Washburn 004 400 300 — 11 9 1
No. 6 ESU 350 211 03X — 15 12 1
W — Applehans. L — Sorensen. S — Burris.
E — WU: Blankenship; ESU: Anderson. DP — WU 1. LOB — WU 3; ESU 5. 2B — WU: Hosey, Kasel, Blankenship, Iversen; ESU: Wempe. HR — WU: Hosey, Gorges; ESU: Shortell, Hernandez 2, Dreiling. HBP — WU: Blankenship 2; ESU: Shortell 3; Hernandez, Dreiling. SF — ESU: Hernandez, Wolfe, Anderson. SB — ESU: Majors, Shortell, Hernandez, Wempe.
Att — 327. Records — ESU 44-6, 30-3 MIAA; WU 16-27, 11-22 MIAA.
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