Fort Hays State baseball cruised to a 17-3 win over Bethany College on Wednesday afternoon at Larks Park in Hays. The win pushed Fort Hays State’s record to 3-1 heading into its first conference series of the season this weekend at Larks Park against Central Missouri.

The Tigers took the early 2-0 lead after one inning and never gave it back, scoring two in the second, three in the third, four in the fourth, and six in the fifth to build a comfortable lead of 17-3 after five innings. Neither team scored the rest of the way. Bethany got single runs in the second, third and fourth.

Horace Johnson was 5-for-6 at the plate for FHSU with a team-best five RBIs and three runs scored. He had a two-RBI double in the first, a RBI single in the third, and a two-run home run in the fourth to generate his five RBIs. He later had another double and single. On his double in the first, he was cut down trying for a triple, which could have given him the cycle for the game.

Nathan Miller generated all three of his RBIs on a three-run homer in the fifth. Shane Wade and Sam Thornton each had two RBIs. Clayton Garland, Kelton Rule, Ryan Busboom, Jay Sanders and Jordan Miller all had one RBI.

Nathan Zimmerman started and threw three innings, allowing two runs and six hits. He picked up the win by coaches pre-determination of innings pitched. Bethany scored one run off reliever Michael Edlefson, but it was not earned. Robert VanCour, Ty Thomas, Chase Newman and Logan Downing all pitched one inning and did not allow any runs.

Fort Hays State hosts Central Missouri in a three-game MIAA series this coming weekend in Hays (Feb. 16-17). Central Missouri is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation and is the defending conference champion. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday at 1 pm and a single game is scheduled for Sunday, also at 1 pm.

– FHSU Sports Information –