The Emporia State baseball team put up 10 runs in the first five innings and held on for a 10-8 victory over Arkansas-Monticello in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional on Thursday night at Trusler Sports Complex in Emporia.
No. 1-seeded ESU will face Lindenwood at 7:45 p.m. on Friday.
ESU plated two runs in the bottom of the first after Mason Brown’s RBI groundout and Mack Gowing’s RBI single. Daniel LaMunyon brought in a run with a double in the bottom of the second and Levi Ashmore’s RBI groundout made it 4-0.
The Hornets (42-11) extended the lead to 7-0 in the third on a RBI single from Gowing, a sac fly from B.J. Dean and a bases-loaded walk by Ashmore.
In the fourth, Gowing drove in his third run of the game with a single and Kaden Shaffer brought in another run with a sacrifice fly. Ryan McBroom doubled in a run in the fifth to push ESU’s lead to 10-2.
UAM scored three runs in the eighth and crept within two after a three-run homer from Brian Ray in the ninth, but Nathan Whitcomb came on to earn the save for the Hornets.
McBroom went three for four with three doubles while Gowing was three for four with three runs driven in.
ESU starting pitcher Seth Holman went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks while striking out five.
In the first game of the regional, Minnesota State Mankato shut out Central Oklahoma 4-0. Lindenwood followed with a 14-5 win over Southern Arkansas. The start of Thursday night’s game between St. Cloud State and Missouri Western was postponed to Friday by severe weather.
Ark.-Monticello000110033—8132
Emporia State22321000X—10130
Black, Streeter (3), Libke (4) and Weiss. Holman, Geiber (8), Taylor (8), Downing (9), Whitcomb (9). W — Holman (11-2). L — Black (5-6). S — Whitcomb (11). 2B — ESU: McBroom 3, Hanna, LaMunyon. HR — UAM: Ray, McFadden.
Records — UAM 32-20. ESU 42-11.
