TOPEKA, Kan. –
Ty Van Meter homered and had the eventual game-winning sacrifice fly in the tenth inning as Northeastern State bounded Washburn 7-6 out of the postseason for the second consecutive season Sunday.
The RiverHawks will advance to the MIAA Tournament Semifinals in Warrensburg, Mo., which will be double-elimination the rest of the way. Northeastern State was the lone road team to win the best-of-three-game series, and they will face the No. 2 seed Missouri Southern Thursday afternoon.
Van Meter homered in consecutive games and had eight RBI in the Washburn series.
Blake Freeman reached milestone hit 300 in the ninth inning, hitting a single to lead off the eighth inning.
Brayden Rodden had a double, scored two runs, and caught the liner to double up Washburn to end the game.
Northeastern State led the game 5-0 before Washburn scored three in the home half of the third. Both teams traded a run in the sixth before the Ichabods tallied a run in the next two frames tying the game on a one-out solo homer during the eighth.
C.D. White drew a five-pitch walk to start the tenth, and
Coby Tweten singled through the left side to put two on with no outs. Following a fly out to left, a wild pitch moved White to third. Van Meter followed up and took a 2-1 pitch to center to score White in.
Washburn (30-22) out-hit the RiverHawks 11-to-8 and left 14 runners on base.
Cole White (3-3) threw 58 pitches and went 3.2 innings out of the bullpen to earn the win.
The RiverHawks and Missouri Southern will be the nightcap in the MIAA semifinal at 4 p.m., Central Missouri and Central Oklahoma are game one at noon. Northeastern State will see one of those two teams on Friday.
