KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State softball team secured a spot in next week’s MIAA tournament with a doubleheader sweep at Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. The Tigers (19-28, 13-13 MIAA), who needed one win to lock down a bid, won the first game 4-2 then took the second contest 7-6 in eight innings.

Fort Hays State scored all of their runs in the first two innings in game one. Tori Beltz, who set a new FHSU career record for walks with her 80th in the first inning, hit a bases-loaded double to push the lead to 4-0 in the second. Paxton Duran scattered eight hits with five strikeouts in the complete game win. The Lopers only runs came on a couple of solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

The Tigers erased a 5-0 deficit in the second game with a run in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh to take a 6-5 lead. UNK scored a run in the seventh to force extra innings, but the Tiger offense stayed hot and scored the decisive run in the eighth.

In the eighth, Rilee Krier reached by error and a Claudia Vazquez bunt single put runners at the corners with one out. Beltz hit a ball deep to left center field for a sacrifice fly RBI to score Krier from third and put the Tigers back in front.

Paxton Duran, who was one strike away from picking up the save in the seventh before giving up a game-tying single, shut the door on the Lopers in the bottom half of the inning, retiring the side in order to give FHSU the win.

Fort Hays State will play a non-conference doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday in Hays to close out the regular season. It will be Senior Day at Tiger Stadium with games starting at 2 pm. It will be the final home games for seniors Paxton Duran, Tori Beltz, Courtney Dobson, Rilee Krier and Erin Elmore.