The Fort Hays State softball team broke a scoreless tie with a run in the 10th inning to win game one of their doubleheader with Pittsburg State 1-0 Saturday afternoon at Tiger Stadium. The Gorillas scored nine runs on 10 hits in the second game and won 9-6 for the split. The 14th-ranked Tigers are now 35-7 and 15-3 in the MIAA where they have dropped out of first place.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 1, Pittsburg State 0 (10 inn.)
Tori Beltz sacrifice fly to left field scored Amanda Vaupel in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Tigers to the victory. Vaupel was placed on second with international tiebreaker and moved to third Paxton Duran’s sacrifice bunt.
The Tigers caught a break in the top of the inning when a ball headed up the middle off the bat of Kayla Sears hit the runner going from second to third for the final out of the inning.
Senior Maddie Holub (20-1), coming off back-to-back perfect games, picks up the complete game victory, stretching her string of scoreless innings to 28. She gave up five hits while striking out 13 and walking six.
Holub had her streak of not allowing a base runner end at 17 innings when the Tigers committed an error in the top of the first. Her string of hitless innings ended at 21 when she allowed a fourth inning single.
Game 2: Pittsburg State 9, Fort Hays State 6
The Gorillas used a four-run third inning to take a 6-2 lead and never trailed again. Fort Hays State scored two in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth after Pitt scored a run in the top of the inning to pull within a run at 7-6. The Gorillas tacked on two more in the sixth for the final margin.
The Tigers threatened in the seventh, putting two on with one out but Pitt State got a force out at third on a grounder then Courtney Dobson popped up to the catcher to end the game.
Biana Adame had three hits and Danie Brinkmann added two and drove in three to lead the Tiger offense.
Paxton Duran takes the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits over six innings. Jordan Jones pitched an inning and gave up a run and Maddie Holub allowed two over the final three innings.