FHSU Sports Information
The Tiger baseball team snapped a nine-game losing streak by winning the first game of a doubleheader at Washburn on Friday (Mar. 14) in Topeka. The Tigers took the opening game 7-5 before falling in the nightcap 8-3. Fort Hays State enters the final two games of the series Saturday at 4-13 overall and 3-11 in the MIAA. Washburn moved to 8-7 overall and 8-6 in the MIAA.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 7, Washburn 3
Fort Hays State jumped out to a 5-0 lead through three innings and held on to defeat Washburn 7-5 in the four-game series opener. A two-run home run by Horace Johnson in the second and then a RBI double by Cooper Langley and two-run homer by Kevin Czarnecki in the third gave the Tigers the early advantage.
Washburn plated a pair in the fourth, but a solo home run by Austin Unrein and an error by Washburn in the seventh produced two runs for FHSU to extend the cushion back to five.
That was too much for Washburn to overcome as it scored three in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Nathan Briar got a pop up to the shortstop to end the game, recording his second save of the season. He pitched 2.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk, but struck out two. He preserved the win for Tyler Patty, who went 4.2 innings allowing five hits and three walks, while striking out two for his first win of the season (now 1-2).
Game 2: Washburn 8, Fort Hays State 3
Washburn took a 3-0 lead through three innings, but FHSU battled back to tie the game with two in the fifth and one in the sixth. However, Washburn thwarted that momentum with two in the bottom of the sixth, one in the seventh, and two in the eighth to win by five.
Gab Cook drove home both runs for the Tigers in the fifth on a single and Gus Strunk had a sacrifice fly RBI in the sixth.
Steven Federau took the loss for FHSU, going 5.1 innings in his start. He allowed five runs on nine hits and struck out two. Ty Thomas relieved for 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Drew Martineau also logged an inning and allowed two runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out one.
Taylor Gentry picked up the win for Washburn, going 6.0 innings with five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. Greg Mason shut down the Tigers for a three-inning save, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.
The Tigers and Ichabods wrap the four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 2 pm.