HAYS – Alex Ruxlow turned in six solid innings and Cody Starkel homered twice as the Fort Hays State baseball team held on for a 9-8 win over Washburn Wednesday at Larks Park.

After scoring the game’s first run on a wild pitch in the second inning the Tigers bats came alive in the fourth inning scoring four runs.

Starkel led off the inning with a solo homerun, his first of the season. That was followed by a Ty Redington running scoring double, a Jake Lanferman sacrifice fly and a Nick Hammeke RBI single to put the Tigers up 5-0.

In the sixth inning Washburn’s Bowe Behymer hit the first of his two home runs of the afternoon cutting the Tiger lead to 6-1. But Trevor Hughes got the run right back with a lead off home run in the bottom of the seventh giving the Tigers a 7-1 lead.

Washburn cut the Tigers lead to just two in their half of the seventh inning scoring four runs to make it 7-5.

Then in the ninth win the Tigers up 9-5 Washburn got a leadoff homerun from Daniel Reilly and Behymer hit his second homerun of the game, this time a two-run homer to cut the Tiger lead to 9-8.

After giving up the three runs Tiger reliever Clayton Basgall the final two hitters of the game to secure the 9-8 Tiger win.

Ruxlow allowed just one run, on four hits over six inning to improve to 4-6 on the season. Washburn starter Quentin McGrath last just three and a third innings and allowed five runs and got the loss.

Starkel was three-for-four in the game with two homeruns and scored four times.

The Tigers improved to 9-22 overall and 2-16 in the MIAA and they will host Lindenwood for a three-game weekend series starting on Friday.

Steve Johnson