EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State softball now sits at 10-32 overall and 3-13 in the MIAA after splitting a pair of road contests with Emporia State on Friday (April 7). The Tigers lost game one 6-0 before responding in game two with a 5-4 ten-inning victory. With the split, Emporia State is now 24-18 this season and 9-5 in the league play.
Game 1: Emporia State 6, Fort Hays State 0
The Hornets loaded the bases in three of the six innings they were at the plate, but only managed to plate runners in the second. In that frame ESU struck for six runs thanks to four hits, a walk and a costly Tiger error with the bases loaded.
Emporia State pitcher Eryn Stockman held the Tigers to just three hits in the game, including singles from Lily Sale, Tess Gray and Candace Bollig. Veronica Knitting and Bailey Boxberger each drew a walk at the plate, giving FHSU just five baserunners all afternoon.
Hailey Chapman (5-18) went the distance for the Tigers, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits, six walks and a strikeout.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 5, Emporia State 4 (10 innings)
The Hornets used the second inning once again to gain the lead when they pushed a run across the plate thanks to an RBI double, but the Tigers evened the score in the following half frame thanks to a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a pair of singles. Boxberger started the frame with a leadoff walk and found herself in scoring position thanks to Jeni Mohr’s sacrifice bunt. Bailey Kennedy and Candace Bolling followed with back-to-back singles up the middle, with Bollig knotting things up with an RBI.
Two innings later, Boxberger blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the year, pushing FHSU in front 2-1. Later in the frame, Bollig increased the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly that plated Mohr from third.
Emporia State immediately tied the game once more when they saw two runs cross the plate in the bottom of the fifth. After the Hornets opened the inning with three hits, Carrie Clarke faced tough situation with no outs and a runner on third. However, the junior buckled down and got out of the jam thanks to some solid glove work by the Tigers.
The Hornets had a shot to end the game in the eighth eight inning with the bases loaded and just one out, but Bollig caught a lined shot hit to the left side before stepping on the bag for the double play ending the inning and the threat by the Hornets.
The international tiebreak rule was put into effect in the tenth inning, placing a baserunner at second before the start of the inning. The Tigers played some small ball and wound up taking the 5-3 lead after a clutch two-out, two RBI single from Gray.
The Hornets did get a run back in the home half of the inning, but that would be it as Clarke and the Tiger defense once again come up big to seal the win for FHSU.
Clarke (5-10) picked up the win for FHSU, tossing a career-high 10 innings in the circle, surpassing her old mark of 8.2 innings. She allowed four runs (three earned), on 11 hits to go along with four walks and a strikeout.
The Tigers will wrap up their eight-game road stand Saturday (April 8) when they face off with Washburn in Topeka, Kan. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
FHSU Sports Information