Despite an early push from Arkansas- Fort Smith during the April 25 series opener, the Hornets were able to pull out a series win over the Lions last weekend.
Arkansas-Fort Smith scored three runs on four hits to take the initial lead in game one of the series. However, the Hornets pulled ahead in the bottom of the inning and tied the score 3-3 thanks to senior catcher TJ Racherbaumerto whose double brought in two runs.
The Lions increased their lead in the second 6-3 before Hornet junior outfielder and first baseman Noah Steele got the Hornets within a run and shrunk the gap 6-5. In the third, ESU took an 8-6 lead.
The fourth was scoreless for both teams, until the Hornets put up their third three-run inning in the bottom half. Efforts from Steele and freshman Brady Unrein brought the Hornets up 11-6 heading into the fifth. Steele pulled the Hornets up again 12-6 in his 15th homer for the season.
The Hornets held their lead into the ninth and took the win 12-8. However, the Hornets would fall 3-0 against the Lions in game two the following Saturday.
In the first inning, both teams were retired in order. Racherbaumer was the first runner of the game, but was unable to get the Hornets on the board. The Lions took the lead in the third 1-0 and the Hornets remained scoreless despite putting runners on bases.
The Hornets got a runner to third base in the fifth, but again failed to score at home. With two on and two outs in the seventh, an inherited runner scored for the Lions to advance them 2-0. They increased the deficit again in the eighth with a 3-0 lead. The Hornets secured leadoff walks in both the bottom of the seventh and bottom of the eighth, but failed to advance.
The Hornets were unable to score in the innings to follow and fell to the Lions 3-0. They were able to rally back Sunday afternoon with a 10-3 win to claim the series victory.
Junior pitcher Nick Woodcock retired the Lions in the first and Steele doubled in the bottom half, but was unable to score. In the bottom of the second, the Hornets took a five-run frame to get on the board 5-0.
Neither team scored over the next two innings until Arkansas-Fort Smith earned a run in the fifth. Sophomore first baseman Jovanni Toledo singled in the bottom half and scored on a single by Unrein to increase the Hornet lead 6-1.
The Lions advanced their score 6-3 in the seventh, but the Hornets kept their three-run lead until their at-bat in the bottom of the eighth. The Hornets scored four runs to lead by seven and eventually took the series in a 10-3 win.
Hornet baseball secured the ninth seed in the MIAA and is set to play in the MIAA Tournament next week. This is the first time the Hornets will see the tournament since 2022. In a series that ended Saturday, the Hornets failed to close out their regular season with a win against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats.
