The Fort Hays State baseball team fell by a score of 6-5 to Tabor College on Tuesday at Larks Park in Hays. Down 6-0 after six innings, a late rally by the Tigers came up short, dropping the Tigers to 2-6 on the young season.

Double plays in the early innings killed several potential rallies by the Tigers, as Tabor methodically opened up its lead with one run in the second, three in the third, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth. The decisive run in the sixth, which scored on a throwing error by the Tigers that would have ended the inning, proved costly.

FHSU capitalized on an error by the Blue Jays in the seventh for its first run. After a Ryan Busboom double to lead off the inning, the Tabor pitcher uncorked a throw on a failed pick-off attempt at second to allow Busboom to get to third. J.C. Ochoa drove him in on a ground ball.

The Tigers took advantage of Tabor’s second error of the game in the eighth. With the bases loaded, the second baseman committed a fielding error off the bat of Mace Krol that allowed all runners to be safe, making the score 6-2. Busboom then cleared the bases with his second-straight double to make it 6-5 with one out. However, Matt Lambert entered the game to pitch and shut the door on FHSU, inducing a pop up and ground out to the next two Tiger hitters.

Lambert worked around a Sheldon Howell single and stolen base in the ninth for his second save of the season and gave Tabor (10-3) the win. Anthony Mendoza picked up the win in three innings of relief for the Blue Jays after starter Brian Kowal went just four innings.

Fort Hays State goes on the road for 4-game conference series’ at Missouri Southern and Lincoln the next two weekends before returning home on March 20 against Bethany College.

– FHSU Sports Information –