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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University baseball battled back from a 7-1 deficit to take a 10-9 MIAA win on Saturday afternoon, evening the series with Northwest Missouri State at one game each.

 Griffin Huiatt picked up the win in Washburn's 10-9 victory over Northwest Missouri. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]

The rubber match is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.  

The Bearcats (18-8 overall, 8-4 MIAA) put a pair of runs on the board in the first inning scoring two on a one-out double after a hit and an error led off the game.

Washburn's Jackson Mervosh led off the second inning with a single, moving to second on an error. He moved to third and scored on an RBI groundout by Chase Littrell to pull the Ichabods within one run.  

Northwest Missouri put two runners on in the third before smashing back-to-back home runs to go up 6-1.

The Bearcats went yard again in the next inning, hitting a solo home run. 

Washburn (10-16, 7-7) started the fourth inning with a pair of walks. With two outs Owen Laessig hit a single deep in the left side of the infield to score one and make it 7-2 after four.  

In the sixth inning Mervosh led off with a double and after a single by Jack Borgmann and Littrell was hit by a pitch the bases were loaded. Brooks Richardson was hit by a pitch, and Laessig followed with a single, each scoring a run.

Trenton Barry delivered a sacrifice fly, scoring another run, and Ian Luce doubled down the left-field line to pull WU within one at 7-6.  

After a second straight scoreless inning by pitcher Fidel Hatch the Ichabods got back to work at the plate.

Doubles from Easton Wasinger and then Borgmann tied the game at seven.

Littrell slashed a single down the right-field line, scoring Borgmann to put Washburn in front 8-7.  

The next half inning Northwest Missouri strung together four straight baserunners, scoring two on a one-out single into left to go back in front.

However, the lead was short lived, with Barry working a leadoff walk in the eighth and Luce slashing a double to left-center, tying the game at nine.

With two outs Borgmann slashed another double into the outfield, scoring Luce to put Washburn in front.  

After entering in the eighth and recording the final two outs, Washburn's Griffin Huiatt stayed on the mound in the ninth and sat down the Bearcats in order to secure the 10-9 win.  

Northwest Missouri State out-hit the Ichabods 13-12 while walks went in favor of Washburn, 7-5. Each team committed one error in the contest.  

Three pitchers combined to throw all nine innings for the Ichabods. Hatch took over for Caleb Lunnon after three innings, he tossed 4.1 with three runs allowed an a strikeout. 

Huiatt secured the win with 1.2 scoreless and a pair of punchouts.  

At the plate Borgmann went 3-4 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and three runs scored. Laessig went 3-4 while driving in three and Luce went 2-3 with two RBI and two walks. Mervosh also reached four times with two hits and a pair of walks.  

By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn Rural three-time Class 6A state champion and four-time finalist Landen Kocher-Munoz headlines the TopSports.news 2026 All-Shawnee County boys wrestling team.

TopSports.news' All-Shawnee County team is based on overall records, postseason results and city coaches' All-City selections.

Landen Kocher-Munoz, Washburn Rural [Photo by Mac Moore/Lawrence Sports]

Kocher-Munoz was named the Shawnee County wrestler of the year after winning the 144-pound championship to wrap up a 39-4 season as Washburn Rural a third-place team finish.

Jadyn Baum, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Kocher-Munoz is one of eight Washburn Rural wrestlers to earn spots on the All-Shawnee County team, including junior 215-pound state champ Jadyn Baum, who went 29-4 on the season. 

Also earning all-county first-team honors for Rural were 106-pound freshman Hayden Broxterman (36-16), 113-pound freshman Andrew Peterson (26-11), 120-pound senior Ryder Harrison (28-7), 138-pound senior Cooper Stivers (34-7), 150-pound junior Brodye Kocher-Munoz (31-8) and sophomore 285-pounder Kaiden Marshall (19-4).

Harrison, Stivers, Brodye Kocher-Munoz, Landen Kocher-Munoz, Baum and Marshall are all first-team repeat picks.

Andrew Peterson, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Ryder Harrison, Washburn Rural [File photo/TSN]

Peterson, named the Shawnee County newcomer of the year, Harrison and Stivers all advanced to 6A championship matches and posted second-place finishes while Brodye Kocher-Munoz finished third and Broxterman and Marshall fifth in 6A.

Jude Krentz, Hayden [File photo/TSN]

 Paxton Willett, Silver Lake [Photo by Rick Peterson Jr./KSHSAA Covered]

Hayden senior Jude Krentz (40-4) was the 4A runnerup at 190 pounds and is an all-county first-team repeat pick while Silver Lake senior Paxton Willett (41-11) was the 3A-1A state runnerup at 190 pounds.

 Krentz is joined on the all-county first-team by Wildcat junior 175-pounder Caleb Menke (41-5) while Silver Lake senior 120-pounder Bryce Cormier (33-10) joins Willett on the first team.

Cormier posted a third-place state finish in 3A-1A while Menke finished fourth in 4A.

Seaman put junior 150-pounder Deegan Frazier (38-12), senior 165-pounder Landen Miller (35-14) and junior 285-pounder Henry Reichart (41-14) on the All-Shawnee County first team, with Frazier and Reichart both posting third-place finishes in the 5A state tournament. 

Hayden coach Jacob Torrez was named the Shawnee County coach of the year after also being picked by his city coaching counterparts as the City Coach of the Year.

ALL-SHAWNEE COUNTY BOYS WRESTLING

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By RICK PETERSON

TopSports.news

Washburn University softball hits the road Friday for a 2 p.m. MIAA doubleheader against No. 17-ranked Central Oklahoma.  

The Ichabods enter the weekend 24-9 overall after going 1-3 in their opening MIAA action last weekend after being swept by Northeastern State last Friday and splitting a twinbill with No. 18-ranked Rogers State on Saturday.

 Washburn sophomore Makenzie Sais leads the nation in stolen bases entering Friday's twinbill at Central Oklahoma. [File photo/TSN]

Sophomore Makenzie Sais became the Ichabods' single-season leader in stolen bases earlier this season and enters the weekend with a nation-best 55 steals, 25 ahead of the No. 2-ranked player on the chart.

The MIAA single-season record is 65 by Becca Alt from Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) set in 1997. Sais' 55 stolen bases are second on the MIAA top-10 single-season chart.

Sais' 72 career stolen bases at Washburn trail Torrie Beauchamp's 87 steals from 1996-1999 and Marrit Mead's 96 from 2021-24.

Sais is also eighth in the nation in hits with 44 and 13th in runs scored with 33.

WU's Dalaney Anderson is 10th in the nation with 40 RBI and she is 18th in home runs with eight.

Seaman product Aspen Burgardt is 28th in runs scored with 30 and she is 40th in the nation in home runs with seven.

Pitcher Sadie Walker is third in the nation in shutouts with five and she is ninth in strikeouts with 96. 

As a team the Ichabods are ranked fifth in the NCAA with 59 doubles while also ranking seventh in hits (283), eighth in RBI (189), 11th in shutouts (7), ninth in stolen bases per game (2.85), second in stolen bases (94), second in walks (141) and seventh in total runs (212).

Central Oklahoma is 22-5 and has won its last four games going into the weekend. Friday's doubleheader against the Ichabods will be the Bronchos' first two MIAA games of the season.

Brooklyn Ryan leads UCO with a .402 batting average, leading the team with 35 hits.

Shelby Beard is 11-3 in the pitcher's circle with a 2.87 ERA in 19 appearances and Carleigh Kinnaird is 10-1 with a 3.56 ERA.

The Ichabods return to Gahnstrom Field next weekend, hosting Missouri Southern on March 27 and Pittsburg State on March 28 in MIAA doubleheaders.