TOPEKA, Kan. -- Northeastern State delivered when it mattered most.

The RiverHawks (11-20, 6-13 MIAA) plated three late runs across the eighth and ninth innings, rallying past Washburn for a 9-8 victory Saturday afternoon at Steve Anson Stadium.

Trailing 8-6 entering the final two frames, Northeastern State chipped away with a run in the eighth before capitalizing on Washburn miscues in the ninth to complete the comeback.

In the eighth, Jaxon Gregory reached on an error and later scored on Xavier Sanchez's RBI single up the middle, cutting the deficit to one.

The RiverHawks weren't done.

In the ninth, Carson Miller sparked the rally with a one-out single and later scored the tying run on an infield error. Moments later, Klete Finley put pressure on the defense with a single, and Gregory reached on another Washburn error that allowed the go-ahead run to cross, giving Northeastern State a 9-8 lead.

That late surge backed a strong relief effort from Ty Presley (4-1), who shut down Washburn over the final three innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three to earn the win.

Northeastern State finished with 15 hits, led by Finley's three-hit day, while Sanchez added three hits and an RBI. Zach Burnes drove in two runs, and Alex Nirider also contributed a pair of RBI.

Washburn built its lead with a three-run fifth and two more in the sixth, but defensive struggles proved costly down the stretch, as the Ichabods committed five errors—three of which factored into the deciding runs.

The series concludes with a rubber match on Sunday at 1 p.m.