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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Joplin, Mo. - The No. 5-ranked Emporia State Hornets set the MIAA record for consecutive wins with their 27th and 28th straight victories by sweeping the Missouri Southern Lions in a pair of seven-inning games Saturday afternoon (Apr. 12) at Joe Becker Stadium. The Hornets won the opener 12-1 and the nightcap 10-2. It didn't take long for the Hornets to get going in the first game as they scored four in the first, three in the second and two more in the third to lead 9-0 after three innings. Conner Crumbliss led off the game with a solo homer to right center and Nick Wolfe added a two-run single in the first. Eric Shortell then hit a two-run double in the third that gave the Hornets the nine-run lead. The Lions scored their run in the fourth after Derek Ezell led off the inning with a single and then scored on a single by Eric Clark. Anthony Markowitz capped the Hornets' scoring with a two-run pinch-hit homer in the seventh. Tyler Applehans was the winning pitcher for Emporia after pitching a complete game and allowing only one run and striking out seven. The second game started out promising for the Lions (12-23, 10-11 MIAA) as Matt Imrie snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI double that scored Jeff Katchmar to put the Lions up 1-0 in the bottom of the second. The Hornets (35-3, 21-0 MIAA) responded with four runs in the third that featured RBI singles from Brian Majors, Shortell and Keith Hernandez. Shortell then stole home for the Hornets' fourth run of the inning. Hernandez and Anthony Dreiling each drove in two runs in a five-run fifth inning that put Emporia ahead 9-1. Skyler Rawlins hit a triple and then scored on a single by Juan Hernandez in the seventh for the Lions' second run. ESU's Richard Timbrook got the win by pitching six innings and giving up only run one with four strikeouts. The Lions and Hornets will conclude the four-game series with a nine-inning contest tomorrow (Apr. 13) at noon.
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