WARRENSBURG, MO. — Conner Crumbliss squeezed the last out of Emporia State’s 15-6 Regional Championship victory over Central Missouri on Monday afternoon, and then Crumbliss ran as fast as he could to the pitcher’s mound.
“The only thing going through my head,” Crumbliss said, “was how I am going to get to this dogpile fast enough.”
For Crumbliss and the Hornets, they had waited long enough.
Emporia State is back in the World Series for the first time since 2006. And all it took was a humbling three-week slump, an offense that had its best stretch of the season at the most important time, a pitching ace that came out of nowhere and some errors that might define Central Missouri’s season, but kept Emporia State’s alive.
Crumbliss, a four-year starter, has seen a lot in his career. He’s the only player left who played on the 2006 team, and as a freshman, he thought the World Series was commonplace. But he learned his lesson last season on a team that won 35 straight games, and went on a tailspin down the stretch, while the Mules ended up in the World Series.
Just last week, it looked as if Crumbliss’ senior season might end in disappointment again. Coming into Regional play, the Hornets had lost six of 10 and the MIAA regular season champions were worried about even making the field.
They made it, and they made sure to make the most of it.
“Last season, I think we kind of thought we were invincible and baseball is not a game where anybody’s invincible,” Crumbliss said. “This year we got those three very humbling weeks to keep us down to earth and get us ready to play this weekend.”
If the Hornets had a humbling experience this weekend, it came on Sunday against Central Missouri. Tyler Applehans pitched a one-hitter for eight innings, but that was not enough. The Mules scored two runs in the ninth and rallied to win 2-1.
An hour later Emporia State was back on the field and had to beat Angelo State a second time to earn a rematch against Central Missouri.
“Having enough guts and stamina to come back and win that game yesterday,” Fornelli said, “you feel like you get over the hump.”
In the third inning on Monday, the Hornets leapfrogged over that hump, while the Mules began their tailspin to the finish.
With runners at first and second, Crumbliss hit a grounder to UCM first baseman Eric Cole. Cole needed to take one step to his left to get Crumbliss out at first. Instead, he decided to throw to second. His throw got past shortstop Bret Schwartz, everyone was safe and the error-fest was just getting started.
Another error on left fielder Jon Wegener fielding a Kenny Burkhead single allowed two runs to score instead of one. Cole committed his second error on a Kellen Lane grounder, which should have ended the inning, but instead left the Hornets with runners at second and third and only one out.
Anthony Dreiling drove in two more runs with his second single of the inning, and the Hornets took a 7-0 lead.
At that point, Crumbliss knew the remainder of the game was a celebration six-innings-in-the-making.
“They’re saying no, but I thought it was (over),” Crumbliss said. “I was ready to win right there.”
One reason Crumbliss felt so comfortable was because Colby Killian was on the mound.
Killian spent most of the season as the club’s No. 4 starter, but Fornelli decided to promote him to the team’s ace before the regional. He responded with six scoreless innings in a 23-0 win over Angelo State in the regional opener.
In the biggest game of the season, Killian got the ball again on only three-day’s rest.
“I’m not going to lie, I about threw up I was so nervous before the game,” Killian said. “And then when I got in the dugout, got around all the intensity in there and got on the mound, I just calmed myself down and did work.”
Killian’s work earned him the Regional MVP and probably a start in the World Series opener on Saturday against Grand Valley.
Through the first five innings, the Mules managed only one hit, and that one hit should have been an out. Schwartz’s chopper took a funny bounce and snuck past Jacob White.
“The one thing I’ll say, the big-time guys show up when it’s time to lay all the marbles down,” Crumbliss said. “Colby’s a big-time player and he’s going to be there for us in the World Series and anytime we have him on the mound, it’s a good deal for us.”
The ESU offense made life easy for Killian on Thursday against Angelo State, and did so against the Mules.
The Hornets padded their lead with three more runs in the fifth, thanks again to another UCM error, and they added four more in the sixth to take a 14-0 lead. In five Regional games, Emporia State scored 58 runs.
The ESU defense was just as good. While the Mules committed five errors, which resulted in nine unearned runs, the ESU defense did not commit an error in the tournament.
The only clinks in the ESU armor came in the postgame dogpile. Crumbliss got his finger spiked and Andy Cotton came out with a bloody nose.
“We’ll take a bloody nose,” Fornelli said, “if we get to go to the World Series.”
South Central Regional Championship
Monday at Crane Stadium
Emporia State 15, Central Missouri 6
Emporia State 007 034 100 — 15 18 0
Central Missouri 000 006 000 — 6 11 5
WP — Killian. LP — Martin. Sv — King.
E — UCM: Schwartz, Feil, Cole 2, Reller. DP — UCM 3. LOB — ESU 7, UCM 9. 2B — ESU: Crumbliss, Wempe, Burkhead, Dreiling; UCM: Tuttle, Feil. HR — ESU: Wempe. HBP — ESU: Wempe, Lane; UCM: Tuttle, Wegener. SF — ESU: Cotton. SB — ESU: Crumbliss.
beth (anonymous) says...
Good luck in the North Carolina!! We'll be listening to the games back here in Emporia.
May 19, 2009 at 3:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
DJrocksthemic (anonymous) says...
Wow, great season, can't wait to read about how the Hornets due in North Carolina. Will their be daily blogs from the Gazette?
May 19, 2009 at 3:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )