Rohey Singhateh / Photo by Ryan Prickett, FHSU Athletics
FHSU Athletics
KEARNEY, Neb. – With the outdoor season winding down, the Fort Hays State track and field team had one last shot to hit NCAA qualifying marks as a handful of Tigers were sent to the Lopers Last Chance Twilight in Kearney. Both FHSU men and women competed to try to add to the potential qualifiers the Tigers will send to the 2019 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships hosted in Kingsville, Texas.
Four Tiger women competed on the day, including Rohey Singhateh placing in two events. Singhateh earned a third place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 38 feet, 6 inches, followed by a fourth place finish in the long jump with her distance of 18 feet, 5 inches. Kayla Smith added a fifth place finish in the triple jump with her distance of 37 feet, 10 ¾ inches. Julia Wagner hurled a sixth place finish in the hammer throw at 156 feet, 9 inches. Cheyenne Nickelson attempted a jump in the pole vault, but reached a no height mark.
For the men, two provisionals were hit as Hunter DeGarmo completed a first place finish in the hammer throw at 182 feet, 3 inches and Kolt Newell placed second in the high jump at 6 feet, 8 ¼ inches. Cameron Fouts added a second place finish in the javelin with a throw of 189 feet, 4 inches. Four Tigers placed in the pole vault led by Ryan Stanley (second) and Jonathan Ball (third) who both went for 15 feet, 5 ½ inches. Mark Faber placed fourth at 14 feet, 11 ½ inches and Brandon Ball rounded out the places for FHSU in the event with his height of 14 feet, 11 ½ inches.
Jack Pakkebier was the lone track athlete for FHSU on the day as he competed in both the 200-meters and 400-meters. In the shorter of the two, Pakkebier placed third with a time of 24.03, while placing second in the 400-meters at 53.12.
Fort Hays State will wait to see who and how many athletes they will be sending to nationals, which will be held May 23-25 in Kingsville, Texas.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Fort Hays State women’s golfer Hannah Perkins wrapped up her senior campaign at the 2019 NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Championship (May 6-7) this week. Perkins finished the tournament in a tie or 27th individually. The senior fired identical rounds of 75 in the first two rounds before finishing with an 85 in the final round. Perkins finished the tournament at 22-over par (235) for the week.
When asked what was going through her head during the first nine holes of the tournament after recording a 2-under (34) score, “The entire front nine I just played so relaxed” said Perkins. “I was hitting the ball really well so had lots of confidence in my swing.”
Perkins finished the season with a 78.0 scoring average over the course of 22 rounds played. The Wichita, Kan. native posted her lowest scores in four rounds at Muskogee Country Club in her career in both the first and second round (75) this week.
“After last week’s [MIAA] tournament, I was happy how the day ended up. Obviously, I had a couple bumps in the road on the 12th and 15th holes, but I just tried to keep my head on straight and realize there was a lot of golf to be played and there are still lots of birdie chances at this course,” said Perkins.
Southwestern Oklahoma State took home the team title with an aggregate score of 893. Arkansas Tech claimed a runner-up finish with an 897, while Northeastern State (913) finished third. Peerada Piddon of Arkansas Tech captured the individual title with a 3-over par (216) finish for the week.
“After how I played at conference I was just glad to be here. I didn’t finish the day how I wanted but I’m happy with how my senior season played out,” said Perkins. “I am just sad to see it end.”
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team earned a tenth place finish at the 2019 installment of the MIAA Outdoor Championships hosted by Central Missouri. Throughout the event, multiple Tigers achieved strong marks and places, with Alexcia Deutscher and Rohey Singhateh adding provisional marks.
Deutscher earned a fourth place finish in the javelin with her provisional throw of 148 feet, 4 inches. Singhateh claimed her provisional with a sixth place finish in the triple jump with her distance of 39 feet, 6 ½ inches.
Other strong performances for the Tigers included a fifth place finish by Peri Lange in the heptathlon as she gather 4,500 points. Teammate Mattie Rossi finished close behind in ninth with 4,098 points of her own. Senior Yessenia Gonzales earned fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:30.05, followed by a sixth place finish in the 10,000-meters at 37:50.57. Abigail Stewart finished in the 10th place in the 10,000-meters with a time of 38:54.66
The Tiger strength continued into field events on the weekend. Robin Ritsema finished in fifth place (5 feet, 4 ¼ inches), Summer Kragel earned seventh (5 feet, 4 ¼ inches) and Haley George added an eighth place mark (5 feet, 2 ¼ inches) in the high jump. Singhateh also earned a 10th place mark in the long jump with her distance of 18 feet, 2 ½ inches. Kayla Smith captured tenth place in the triple jump with her own jump of 38 feet, 7 inches.
Fort Hays State ended with 25.7 team points to finish in tenth place out of 13 MIAA programs. Pittsburg State won the team title as they accumulated 144.2 points, followed by Missouri Southern with 144 points in second, and Lincoln rounded out the top three finishes with 104 points as a team.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Brett Meyer claimed two individual MIAA titles at the 2019 edition of the MIAA Outdoor Championships and helped the Fort Hays State men’s track and field team to a seventh place finish. The event, hosted by Central Missouri in Warrensburg, ran from May 3 -5.
Meyer is ending his senior season on a high-note, as he is now the MIAA champion in both the 1,500-meters and 800-meters. In both events on the weekend, Meyer claimed provisional marks by running his 1,500-meters in 3:49.98 and submitting a time of 1:51.45 in the 800-meters.
Philip Landrum earned All-MIAA in one event and claimed two provisional marks. In the 100-meters, Landrum earned third place at 10.52 while earning third in his preliminary heat in the 200-meters for his provisional at 21.07.
In field event provisionals, Ryan Stanley claimed fourth with his height of 16 feet, 9 ¼ inches in the pole vault. Gilbert Peters beat his personal record multiple times on the day to earn his provisional in the shot put with his hurl of 53 feet, 8 ½ inches. Matthew Pieper finished fourth place in the decathlon with a provisional amount of 6,491 points.
Aside from provisional marks, other Tigers produced strong marks and finishes throughout the weekend. Alex Barbosa earned eighth place in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:56.49 followed by a ninth place finish by Seppe van ‘t Westende with a time of 3:58.33. In the 5,000-meters, Layton Werth was named All-MIAA after completing a third place finish with a time of 15:04.70. Justin Reed was close behind in sixth place at 15:17.03.
In the 10,000-meters, Israel Barco earned fifth in the 10,000-meters at 31:19.79 with Werth coming in seventh at 31:30.99 and Justin Moore finishing in ninth with a time of 31:49.70. The Tiger 4×100 relay team, made up of Brayden Soza, Landrum, Malcom Gardner and Adrian Soto, finished in sixth place with their combined time of 41.71. the 4×400 meter quad of Piper, Gardner, D’Corian Williams and Meyer finished in ninth place with their total time of 3:20.68.
Moving to field events, multiple Tigers produced encouraging finishes. Kolt Newell earned sixth in the high jump with his height of 6 feet, 7 inches. Mark Faber achieved an eighth place finish in the pole vault at 15 feet, 5 ½ inches. Cameron Fouts rounded out the top-ten finishes on the field for Fort Hays State with a seventh place finish in the javelin following a throw of 189 feet.
The Tigers accumulated 62 team points to end the weekend in seventh place. Central Missouri won the men’s side with 133 points. Pittsburg State earned 122 to place in the runner-up position and Missouri Southern rounded out the top-three with 119 points.
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball wrapped up their 2019 campaign on Sunday (May 5), falling to Pittsburg State by a final of 10-6. The Tigers ended their season with an overall record of 3-40 and a 2-31 clip in MIAA play, while the Gorillas finished their regular season 28-19 overall and 20-13 in conference action.
The Tigers mustered up their best offensive performance of the series in the finale as they picked up six runs on eight hits in the contest. Three Tigers produced multi-hit bids on the afternoon with Ryan Grasser, Cody Starkel and Jordan Wilkerson earned two base knocks. Grasser led the way with two runs scored and Olson, Starkel and Wilkerson drove in one run each.
Tiger starter Cody Rottinghaus escaped a little bit of a jam in the opening frame after allowing a free pass, a single and a stolen base before inducing a fly out to end the Gorilla momentum. In the home half, Grasser doubled down the right field line and Starkel single up the middle to give the Tigers the edge. Grasser then stole home after Starkel distracted the Gorillas in the base path to give the Tigers their first lead of the series.
Pittsburg State knotted things up in the second after Quin Reasoner produced an RBI single. FHSU got the run back in the third frame after Garrett Francis scored on a throwing error by the Gorillas overthrowing the first baseman. FHSU then increased their lead to 3-1 in the fifth after Starkel ripped an RBI single up the middle, scoring Grasser from second.
PSU tied the game up once again in the top of the sixth with two runs, before the Tigers switched scripts again with two runs of their own in the home half. After a couple errors by the Gorillas, Jared Maneth came around to score. The very next plate appearance, Olson reached first on a fielder’s choice and Kyler Cox crossed home plate.
Rottinghaus tossed a solid six innings for the Tigers before the Gorillas took advantage of seeing him for the third time through the lineup. PSU plated six runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open. The Tigers were able to get one of the runs back in the home half as Wilkerson single to right center, plating Starkel from second. The Gorillas then tacked on another run in the ninth.
Rottinghaus (1-4) was charged with the loss in the contest after tossing 6.2 innings, allowing eight runs (four earned) on six hits. The Seneca, Kan. native allowed five free passes to first, while picking up four strikeouts. Ryan Brown came on in relief the rest of the way (2.1 IP), surrendering two runs (one earned) on three hits and fanning two Gorilla hitters.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball announced the addition of Jaden Hobbs, transfer from Oklahoma State University, for the upcoming 2019-20 season. A 5-foot, 8-inch guard, Hobbs will be a junior in her first year with the Tigers. She started 24 games over two years at Oklahoma State, where she played 62 games overall.
Hobbs led the Big 12 Conference in 3-point field goal percentage as a redshirt-freshman in 2017-18, hitting 43.6 percent of her attempts (41-of-94). She backed that up with a solid sophomore campaign, hitting 41.2 percent beyond the arc (42-of-102). Her biggest single-game performance occurred in the NCAA Tournament First Round during the 2017-18 season against Syracuse University when she scored 27 points, hitting 8-of-9 three-point attempts to help Oklahoma State to an 84-57 win. She set a new Oklahoma State single-game record for three-point field goals made in a game with that performance. She is also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 Performer, listed on the Second Team twice. She used a redshirt in her first year out of high school due to injury, but came back strong to be a strong contributor for OSU the last two years.
In 2017-18, Hobbs averaged 4.6 points per game for Oklahoma State to rank sixth on the team in scoring. She started 10 games that season, helping the Cowgirls to a 21-11 overall record and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual national runner-up Mississippi State. In 2018-19, Hobbs averaged 5.4 points per game to rank fourth on the team in scoring. She also dished out 82 assists, ranking second on the team.
Hobbs had a decorated prep career at Alva High School in Alva, Oklahoma. She helped the school to three consecutive state championships. She was the The Oklahoman’s Super 5 Player of the Year as a senior in 2016. She was also a member of the Super 5 Team in 2015. In the championship run for Alva, Hobbs broke the state tournament career scoring record with 299 points, single tournament scoring record with 107 points, and single-game scoring record with 45 points. She was the MVP of the state tournament as a sophomore, junior, and senior and scored over 2,200 points in her high school career. Hobbs was also a standout track and field athlete, helping Alva to state titles in the 400 and 800-meter relays.
Hobbs will reunite with high school teammate Whitney Randall at FHSU and help bolster a Tiger program fresh off a 32-2 record and NCAA Central Regional Final appearance in 2018-19. Randall was also part of the run of three consecutive state titles at Alva High School.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fort Hays State seniors Wyatt Parker (football) and Tatyana Legette (women’s basketball) received the 2019 National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American Athlete Award. Both receive the honor based off their athletic accomplishments and dedication to strength and training, nominated for the award by Fort Hays State Strength and Conditioning Coach Doug Boucher.
Parker was a member of the Tiger football team for five years from 2014-2018. After redshirting his first year, Parker played in 48 games during his career at FHSU, while making 35 starts over the last three seasons primarily at defensive tackle. Parker finished with 187 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery in his career. He earned All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Don Hansen Football Committee in his final year, putting together 71 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss, and four forced fumbles in 2018. He was a two-time All-MIAA selection. Parker helped the Tigers to back-to-back MIAA Championships in 2017 and 2018 and two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Playoffs, while also helping the team to bowl game appearances in 2015 and 2016. FHSU had a record of 36-12 overall in Parker’s four seasons on the field, winning at least eight games each year. Parker is a Health and Human Performance major at FHSU and has been a member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. He is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri.
Legette was a member of the Tiger women’s basketball team for four years from 2014-2018. Legette was one of the best ever to put on the Tiger uniform, finishing her career with 1,256 points, ranking 11th on the all-time list at FHSU, and 865 rebounds, good for fourth in program history. She also ranks fifth in program history for blocked shots (126) and free throws made (352), sixth in free-throw attempts (487), and 10th in field goal percentage (50.3 percent). Legette helped Fort Hays State to NCAA Tournament appearances in three of her four years on the court as the Tigers put together an impressive 105-23 record in that span. Legette and fellow senior Carly Heim are the first players in program history to be a part of teams to win 100 games over a four-year span. Legette helped the Tigers to a 32-2 record and reach the NCAA Regional Finals in her senior year of 2018-19, averaging 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the season. She also ranked second on the team in blocks per game (1.5) and third in steals per game (1.4). For her efforts this past season, Legette earned MIAA Player of the Year honors before receiving All-America honors from the WBCA and Division II Bulletin. She was a three-time All-MIAA selection. Legette also excels in the classroom as a Health and Human Performance major at FHSU, consistently earning a spot on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. She is a native of Topeka, Kansas.
BALTIMORE – Former Fort Hays State standout kicker Brandon Brown has signed with the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League. The organization signed Brown on April 24, 2019, just before the team’s season opener on April 26. Brown is just a year removed from his collegiate playing days at FHSU, earning All-America and MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2017.
In two years at Fort Hays State, Brown broke the single-season kick scoring record twice, scoring 88 points in 2016 and then 94 in 2017. Brown finished his two-year career at FHSU with 31 field goals and 89 PATs for a total of 182 kicking points, ranking fourth all-time in kick scoring at FHSU.
Brown had invites to NFL rookie minicamps following his senior year, but he returned to FHSU to help coach the Tigers in 2018. He served as an assistant coach specializing in the kicking game and helped former teammate Dante Brown to All-America honors in 2018, including NCAA Division II Special Teams Player of the Year honors by the Don Hansen Football Committee. Dante Brown served as the team’s punter in Brandon Brown’s senior year of 2017, but he added kicking duties to his punter role in 2018 and led the nation in field goals with 28.
Brown had a big debut with the Baltimore Brigade in the season opener. He connected on his only field goal attempt and went 8-for-8 in extra-point attempts. The Arena Football League plays a 13-week schedule that lasts through the latter part of July.
KEARNEY, Neb. – A day after Fort Hays State swept Nebraska-Kearney in a crucial MIAA doubleheader in Hays, Nebraska-Kearney got revenge in a pair of non-conference wins Sunday to close out the 2019 season. The Lopers won by scores of 2-1 and 12-4, closing their season at 20-24 overall. Fort Hays State wrapped up its season at 24-25 overall.
Game 1: Nebraska-Kearney 2, Fort Hays State 1
Michaelanne Nelson continued a string of strong performances in the pitching circle by limiting Nebraska-Kearney to just one earned run. Unfortunately, an unearned run Nebraska-Kearney collected was the deciding run in a tight 2-1 pitcher’s duel in game one.
Nelson worked around 10 Loper hits and a walk, escaping jams in several innings to limit the Lopers in the run column. However, a Tiger throwing error with two outs in the fifth led to a run-scoring single by Jasmyn Broussard that pushed the Lopers in front 2-1. The one earned run surrendered by Nelson was in the first inning, when the Lopers tied the game 1-1. She tossed her fourth consecutive complete game as a starter, striking out three batters. Nelson finished the year at 10-12 in the circle. She held opponents to no more than one earned run in seven of her last nine starts of the season.
The one run for the Tigers came on a Sara Breckbill ground out RBI in the first inning. Katie Adler led off the game with a walk and Terran Caldwell singled. Both moved up on an Allison Jurgensen sacrifice bunt before Adler came in on Breckbill’s grounder. From that point, the Tigers struggled to find hits, finishing with just four in the game. UNK starter Erin Hallman retired nine straight Tigers from the second inning to fifth inning before allowing a walk.
Hallman picked up the win in the circle for UNK, allowing just two hits and three walks in 5.0 innings of work. She struck out two. Mo Vornhagen came in to pick up a two-inning save, allowing just two hits with a strikeout.
Game 2: Nebraska-Kearney 12, Fort Hays State 4
Three of four games on the weekend between Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney ended by run rule, this time UNK coming out victorious after FHSU reached the run rule twice on Saturday in Hays. The Tigers enjoyed two leads in the game before seeing the Lopers score 10 runs over the third, fourth, and fifth innings.
Fort Hays State took an initial 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-RBI single by Sara Breckbill. The Lopers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game. FHSU pushed back ahead in the third 4-2 when Grace Philop delivered a two-RBI single. By that point, the Tigers had done the majority of their damage to UNK starter Sarah Handrahan, who allowed four runs on seven hits and three walks over just 2.0 innings of work.
The Tiger bats went silent when UNK turned the ball to reliever Mo Vornhagen, who tossed the final three innings. She allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out three to pick up her second win of the season.
The Tigers could not hold on to their second lead of the game as the Lopers jumped into the lead for the first time, 6-4, on a two-out grand slam by Karlee Arnold. The Lopers continued their offensive outburst in the fourth inning with an RBI single and two-run home run, making the score 9-4. They ended the game in the fifth with a two-RBI single and an RBI double.
Hailey Chapman allowed nine runs on 11 hits and a walk, moving to 12-13 for the season. She struck out four batters. Megan Jamison relieved Chapman for an inning, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk. Jamison struck out one batter.
Tiger Notes
-The 24 wins this season are the most since the 2015 season when the Tigers won 26.
-The 3.47 ERA by the Tiger pitching staff this year was its lowest since the 2016 season when the team posted a 3.10 ERA.
-Fort Hays State went 17-2 this year in games where it scored 5 or more runs. The Tigers were held to just one run or scoreless in 16 of their 25 losses on the year.
-The Tigers spread leadership in offensive stat categories throughout the team for the season. Grace Philop led in batting average (.331), Bailey Boxberger led in RBIs (37), Terran Caldwell led in hits (54), runs (34), and stolen bases (10), Sara Breckbill led in doubles (13), Lily Sale led in triples (2), Elise Capra led in home runs (6), Katie Adler led in walks (24), and Allison Jurgensen led in on-base percentage (.436).
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Three runs and seven hits were not enough for the Fort Hays State baseball team to keep up with Central Missouri Sunday with the Mules pulling away to win the series finale 13-3. The Tigers (4-37, 2-28 MIAA) tied things up at 1-1 in the third inning before Central Missouri (32-12, 22-8) scored 12 runs over its final four at bats.
After the Mules took an early lead in the first inning, three consecutive singles from Bryce Baumwart, Jared Maneth and Marcus McDaniel loaded the bases in the third. Caleb Egan kept things rolling with another base knock, plating Baumwart to tie things up at 1-1 before UCM starting pitcher Luke Lucas (4-0) got out of the jam with a strikeout and a groundout.
Central Missouri got things going in the fourth, pushing across four runs then added four more in the fifth and seventh innings. The Tigers closed within 9-3 in the top of the seventh after Baumwart worked a one-out walk. Maneth followed with a double into the right field corner before McDaniel plated a run with an RBI groundout. Cody Starkel drove in another run with a double down the left field line two batters later, but the rally came to a close with another strikeout.
Tanner Smith (0-5) took the loss for the Tigers, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) on 11 hits while striking out four over five frames. Maneth was the lone Tiger to collect multiple hits, finishing 2-for-3 with a run.
The Tigers will return to Larks Park next weekend (May 3-5) to wrap up the regular season against Pittsburg State. The series is set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday before a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday and a noon season finale Sunday.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State did exactly what it needed to do on Saturday, but did not get the help it needed from action elsewhere in the conference as it came up just shy of grabbing a spot in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers won their final two conference games of the season over Nebraska-Kearney, both in run-rule fashion, by scores of 9-1 and 8-0 at Tiger Stadium. Fort Hays State moved to 24-23 overall, 13-13 in the MIAA with the wins, while UNK dropped to 18-24 overall, 12-14 in the MIAA.
Adrian Pilkington Postgame Interview
Head coach Adrian Pilkington picked up her 100th career coaching win with the Tigers game one victory.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 9, Nebraska-Kearney 1
Fort Hays State shook off its offensive struggles from earlier in the week in a big way on Saturday with a season-high 18 hits in a 9-1 win over Nebraska-Kearney. Katie Adler set the tone for the Tigers with a 4-for-4 effort at the plate, while Sara Breckbill went 3-for-4. Terran Caldwell, Bailey Boxberger, Elise Capra, and Jeni Mohr all collected two hits. All nine Tigers in the starting lineup collected hits.
Game 1 Highlights
The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning. Breckbill got the scoring started with an RBI double and Grace Philop followed with an RBI single.
The Lopers benefitted from a pair of Tiger errors in the second inning for their only run of the day, cutting the lead to three. However, it was all Tigers from that point.
After leading off the first with a single to start a rally for the Tigers, Adler started another in the second with a two-out single. Caldwell drove home Adler from first with a double and then Allison Jurgensen added to the Tiger lead with an RBI single. FHSU led 4-1 after two innings.
Capra added to the Tiger lead in the fifth with a solo home run down the right field line. The Tigers poured on four more runs in the sixth to end the game by run rule. Boxberger had a two-RBI double to push the lead to 7-1, then Capra provided another RBI double to make it 8-1. Sale finished the game with an RBI single.
Michaelanne Nelson had a great performance in the circle for the Tigers, allowing three hits and three walks in a six-inning complete-game effort. She struck out four Lopers, moving to 10-11 on the season.
Erin Hallman took the loss for UNK, throwing the first 1.2 innings. She allowed four runs on eight hits and struck out two. Reliever Mo Vornhagen threw 3.2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits. Megan Blake allowed the final run and allowed three hits, but did not record an out.
With the win, fifth-year head coach Adrian Pilkington reached the 100th win of her coaching career at FHSU.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 8, Nebraska-Kearney 0
Fort Hays State needed just two big innings to complete the doubleheader sweep it knew it needed going into the day. The Tigers scored three runs in the second and five in the sixth to reach the run rule once more. The Tigers reached 30 hits for the day with a 12-hit performance in game two.
Game 2 Highlights
Katie Adler reached 5-for-5 on the day in her second plate appearance in game two, driving in the first run with an RBI single. An error helped extend the inning and the Tigers scored a pair of runs on a two-RBI double by Allison Jurgensen.
The Tigers erupted again in the sixth with five runs to end the game. Jeni Mohr started the rally with a single and Lily Sale followed with an RBI triple. She came in to score on the play when the Lopers made a throwing error at third attempting to throw her out. Katie Adler walked and then came in to score on another error committed by the Lopers on the back end of a Terran Caldwell double. Jurgensen pushed the Tiger lead to 7-0 with an RBI single and then Elise Capra put the finishing touches on the rally with a sacrifice fly RBI.
Caldwell went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Jurgensen and Sale each had two hits in the contest.
Amid the offensive fireworks, Hailey Chapman had another solid pitching performance in the circle for FHSU moving to 12-12 on the year with a six-inning complete-game shutout. It was her second individual shutout of the season. She held the Lopers to just five hits and struck out eight.
MIAA Tournament Hopes Dashed
Though the Tigers swept the doubleheader, their MIAA Tournament hopes were dashed shortly following their game one win. Northeastern State rallied to sweep Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State picked up a victory over No. 1 nationally ranked and MIAA regular season champion Central Oklahoma to keep the Tigers out of the tournament field. The Tigers finished one game out of a four-way tie for fifth at 14-12. Those four teams (Emporia State, Lindenwood, Northeastern State, and Pittsburg State) grabbed the final four spots in the MIAA Tournament, with three having to clinch their spot on Saturday.
Tiger Notes
-Fort Hays State pounded out 30 hits and outscored UNK 17-1 on the day.
-The 18 hits in game one was a season high.
-Katie Adler went 5-for-6 at the plate for FHSU in the doubleheader, while Terran Caldwell matched her in hits for the day by going 5-for-8 at the plate.
-Allison Jurgensen led the Tigers in RBIs for the day with four.
-Fort Hays State hit .484 in the doubleheader, while holding UNK to a .174 average.
-Hailey Chapman has a 1.52 ERA in her last four starts.
Up Next
Fort Hays State closes out the season at Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday with a pair of non-conference games. At 24-23 overall, the Tigers have a chance at securing their first winning season since 2014 if they can pick up one more win.
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped the second game of the weekend series to the Central Missouri Mules on Saturday, 27-1 from Crane Stadium. The Tigers moved to 3-36 on the season and 2-27 in the MIAA, while the Mules move to 31-12 overall and 21-8 in conference action.
The Tiger bats struggled against the Mules for the second-consecutive contest as they mustered up one run on four hits. Caleb Egan, Cody Starkel, Taylan Mullins-Ohm and Marcus McDaniel each earned one base poke on the afternoon. Starkel scored the lone Tiger run in the sixth when McDaniel roped an RBI double to left center.
Ryan Ruder (1-8) was charged with the loss after surrendering 13 runs on 14 hits in 2.1 innings of work. Jake Vieira, Chase Werth and Cody Starkel finished off the game on the mound for the Tigers. UCM produced at least one run in all six innings of plate appearances.
FHSU and UCM will wrap up the conference series on Sunday with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.
CONCORDIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team competed in a mid-week meet in Concordia, Kan hosted by Cloud County Community College. The Tigers captured numerous high places, including winning six events.
Lindsay Shupe claimed a first place finish in the 400-meters with her top-time of 57.17, followed by a winning time in the 5,000-meters by Abigail Stewart with a time of 18:57.81. Summer Kragel captured the high jump with her height of 5 feet, 5 ¼ inches while Kayla Smith finished in the top spot in the triple jump with her distance of 38 feet, 4 ¼ inches. Logan Batchman earned the top podium place in the shot put with her throw of 41 feet, 5 ¾ inches alongside a first place finish in the hammer throw by Julia Wagner at 165 feet, 5 inches.
Bree Hysaw claimed a runner-up finish in the 100-meters with a time of 12.82 as well as a third place finish in the 200-meters at 26.19. Lucy Giles placed seventh at 28.20 and Haley George finished in 10th at 28.87 in the 200-meters as well. Giles also gathered a seventh place finish in the 400-meters at 1:02.39.
In the 800-meters, Carson Pierce finished in third place at 2:26.51 with Averi Wilson finishing in fifth place at 2:27.72. Wilson also added a second place finish in the 1,500-meters at 5:01.82 alongside a fifth place finish by Carson Pierce (5:10.78), seventh place finish by Rylea Oliver (5:18.72) and a tenth place finish by Rebeca Avelar (5:32.30). Tessa Durnell added a third place finish in the 5,000-meters at 20:29.24. The Tiger quad made up of Covarrubias, Stowers, Wilson and Pierce earned a runner-up finish in the 4×400 meter relay at 4:28.77.
In field events, George added a second place finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 4 ¼ inches with Haley Jones coming in third at 5 feet, 2 ¼ inches alongside Robin Ritsema boasting the same mark. In the pole vault, Cheyenne Nickelson claimed second place with her height of 10 feet. Rohey Singhateh picked up a second place finish in the long jump with Abby Burton coming in fifth in the same event. The triple jump saw three Tigers place in the top-ten with Abby Burton coming in third at 36 feet, 4 ¾ inches and Mariah Hammersmith right behind her at fourth place with a jump of 36 feet, 0 inches.
Laurel Haley came in third place at 120 feet, 4 inches, Logan Batchman earned fourth at 117 feet, 3 inches and Macey Steckel finished in fifth place at 107 feet, 6 inches in the discus. Haley earned second in the hammer throw at 160 feet, 10 inches, Batchman finished in third at 138 feet, 1 inche and Steckel earned fifth in the hammer throw at 111 feet, 1 inch. Rounding out the field finishes for the Tigers is a third place finish in the javelin by Kaci Vaughn at 114 feet, 11 inches and a fourth place finish in the same event by Kalynn Foster at 88 feet, 1 inch.
The Tigers will get a short break before competing in the MIAA Championships May 3-5 hosted by Central Missouri in Williamsburg, Mo.
