Emporia State coach Bob Fornelli used just about his entire roster to get win No. 600 of his career on Tuesday night.
After Fornelli sent 15 hitters to the plate, played 16 in the field and used four different pitchers in a 24-4 win over Sterling College, one of the few who didn’t get the chance to play, Chris Dobler, helped his coach make this a night to remember.
Dobler congratulated Fornelli with a celebratory shaving cream pie in the face. It was a fitting ending to the night for a coach who demands excellence, but also has a lighter side.
“You could tell before this game that it was going to be a good day,” Fornelli said. “The guys were loose and having fun before the game ever started. ... We had some guys step up and have good swings and get on a roll.”
Yes, the Hornet hitters got on a roll, so much so that this turned into a scorekeeper’s nightmare. Not only did Fornelli empty his bench, but the Hornets batted around twice, including sending 14 to the plate during a 10-run fifth inning.
Thirteen different Hornets got a hit and six players had multi-hit games, including Kevin Wempe, who homered twice.
Wempe started and got two hits for the second straight game, busting out of a slump that had put him on the bench.
“He’s gotten better,” Fornelli said. “I think the time off made him relax a little bit and just watch the game a little bit. I thought he played really well Sunday and came out and did a good job today.”
Wempe’s turnaround, and the fact that he was able to sit, speaks to the program Fornelli has built at Emporia State. Because of Fornelli’s recruiting, the Hornets have a lot of depth, enabling him to sit a three-year starter, and he usually knows what buttons to push to get a player going.
Need proof? See 600 wins and a .728 winning percentage in 14 seasons.
“That is a big number,” Wempe said. “It’s just a testament of what he demands of his players, and he’s just got a passion for winning. He’s allergic to losing.”
Losing was hardly expected on Tuesday, facing an NAIA team with a losing record of 12-22.
After going down in order in the first inning, the Hornet bats got busy in the second inning, batting around and scoring six runs on four hits. Travis Whipple and Wempe both hit two-run homers.
The Hornets added four more runs in the fourth, the big swing coming on a towering two-run homer from Kenny Burkhead.
Then came the fifth inning, when Fornelli started to empty his bench but the Hornets kept on hitting. Tyler Herrig hit a three-run homer in his first at-bat, and Wempe followed with his second home run of the game.
It was the second straight game that the Hornets hit five home runs.
Pointing to the fluttering flags in the outfield, Herrig said, “It’s a good day to hit.”
Herrig and Bryson Ramsey both came off the bench to get two hits. For Ramsey, it was only his second appearance this season. Joey Oxley, who caught one inning, played for the first time, and pitchers Karsten Streiloff and Logan Forbis came on in relief for the first time this season.
“Games like this, it’s great to stay fresh, get some guys in there that don’t play every day so they can get some at-bats and see live pitching and be ready when they do get the call come conference time or later in the season as we get farther into it,” Herrig said.
Spencer Blades (3-1) started the game and pitched three scoreless innings to record the win. Sterling used six different pitchers and decided to end the game after the top-half of the seventh.
The Hornets improved to 29-8, and Fornelli got his 600th win only two years after recording his 500th.
For the complete story see the Gazette print edition or the online print edition at http://www.emporiagazette.com/pdf. To subscribe to the print edition or the online print edition go to http://www.emporiagazette.com/subscribe.
yev_kassem (anonymous) says...
Congrats coach!
April 14, 2010 at 2:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )