PITTSBURG, Kan. – Just like the men’s distance medley relay, the Fort Hays State women were crowned champions in the event at the 2018 MIAA Indoor Championships. However, the squad not only set a school record, but now boast the meet record. Three other events are coming back to FHSU with All-MIAA honors after the teams competed in Pittsburg all weekend.

Lindsay Roberts, Lauren Roberts, Kelly Wycoff and Grace Buessing achieved the first place finish in the distance medley relay after hitting a record-setting time of 12:01. The quad earned All-MIAA honors with the big win. This relay also earned a provisional for their time. Lindsay Roberts also claimed All-MIAA honors in the mile with her second place finish at 5:02. This time claims both a new personal record as well as a new school record. Her sister, Lauren finished right behind in third place as she also earned All-MIAA honors with her time of 5:03.

Haile Turner produced a provisional and personal record in the pole vault with her sixth place finish at 12 feet, 4 inches. With this mark, Turner now ranks 14th in the nation in her event. Other top-ten finishes in field events were completed by Summer Kragel (fifth) and Haley Jones (eighth) in the high jump and Courtney Geiger hitting a personal record in the shot put at 43 feet, 10 ½ inches to place eighth. Rohey Singhateh earned seventh place in the long jump with her distance of 18 feet, 5 inches.

On the track, eight Tigers placed in the top ten throughout the championships. Amber Forbes took two high-place finishes by claiming fifth in both the 60-meters (7.65) and 200-meters (25.06). The 60-meter time was good for a provisional for Forbes. Both Yessenia Gonzales and Chelsea Jackson claimed two high finishes over the weekend. Gonzales too fifth in both the 5,000-meters (17:44) and the 3,000-meters (10:09). Both times were good for personal records. Jackson went sixth in the 5,000-metes with a time of 18:07 and a mark of 10:30 for a tenth place finish in the 3,000-meters. Lauren and Lindsay Roberts added to the top-ten finishes in the 3,000-meters with Lauren running in 10:28 for eighth place and Lindsay in at 10:18 in sixth place.

The Tigers ended the meet with 55.25 total team points to finish in sixth place. Pittsburg State claimed the team title with 180.50 total team points.

Final Team Standings
1. Pittsburg State – 180.5
2. Central Missouri – 77.25
3. NW Missouri State – 67
4. Missouri Southern – 62.5
5. Southwest Baptist – 59
6. Fort Hays State – 55.25
7. Lincoln (Mo.) – 54
8. Lindenwood – 33.25
9. Nebraska-Kearney – 30.25
10. Washburn – 30
11. Central Oklahoma – 18
12. Missouri Western – 18
13. Emporia State – 16

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Decano Cronin earned the first FHSU automatic mark and multiple other Tigers captured conference titles in numerous events as the MIAA Indoor Championships was completed over the weekend. The past three days, the Fort Hays State men’s track and field team has been competing at Pittsburg State for the 2018 installment of the conference championships.

Cronin captured the biggest mark throughout the meet as he claimed the 800-meters with a time of 1:49.95. This time not only gave him an automatic mark in Division II, but also set FHSU and meet records. Cronin was also a member of the men’s 4×400 relay which also set a new FHSU record and earned a provisional after coming in fifth place with a time of 3:16.6. Jacob Schumacher, Brett Meyer and Malcom Gardner were the other members of that squad. Oscar Carmona, Meyer, Gardner and Israel Barco also set a new meet record in the distance medley relay with their first place finishing time of 10:01.

Meyer took the men’s mile conference championship with his finishing mark of 4:13 to give him All-Conference honors. Kyle Comstock, who placed third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.2, and Kolt Newell with his second place mark of 6 feet, 9 inches were the other Tiger All-MIAA earners. Both Comstock and Newell earned provisional marks.

Other notable finishes throughout the meet include sixth place finishes from Malcom Gardner in the 200-meters (21.87), and Matthew Pieper in the heptathlon 4,914 points). Pieper’s point total was good enough for a provisional. Jake Morrow, one the nation’s top pole vaulters, finished tied for fifth in the event with a height of 16 feet, 3 ½ inches. Sam Dreiling placed ninth in the pole vault at 15 feet, 5 ¾ inches. Both Dreiling and Morrow earned another provisional.

Carmona also earned a seventh place finish in the mile, crossing the line at 4:19. Coming in eighth place in the heptathlon was Derek Bixenman with 4,849 points, good enough for a Division II provisional.

The Tigers ended the meet with 59.50 total team points to finish in sixth place. Pittsburg State claimed the team title for the second-straight season with 141 points.

Final Team Standings
1. Pittsburg State – 141
2. Emporia State – 93
3. Central Missouri – 85.5
4. Lincoln (Mo.) – 81
4. Missouri Southern – 81
6. Fort Hays State – 59.5
7. Nebraska-Kearney – 39.5
8. Washburn – 38
9. NW Missouri State – 33
10. Lindenwood – 27.5
11. Southwest Baptist – 15
12. Missouri Western – 7

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Fort Hays State dropped its final two games at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament, hosted by St. Cloud State University. The Tigers fell to Minnesota State, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, 7-1 before dropping a contest to tournament host St. Cloud State 6-4. The Tigers moved to 2-14 overall on the season.

#1 Minnesota State 7, Fort Hays State 1
Minnesota State went on top 2-0 after an inning and never let go of the lead, scoring five runs over the fifth and sixth innings to pull away for a 7-1 win. The Mavericks remained undefeated on the year, moving to 8-0.

Megan Jamison started the game in the pitching circle for the Tigers, but could not record an out giving up hits to the first three batters. Sierra Rodriguez relieved for the remainder of the game. Two of the runners allowed on base by Jamison scored as the Mavericks recorded a total of four hits in the inning.

The Tigers scored their only run in the second inning on a Sara Breckbill RBI single. Bailey Boxberger led off the inning with a walk, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, then moved to third on a single by Bailey Kennedy. She came in to score on the hit by Breckbill.

Rodriguez held the Mavericks scoreless until the fifth, when an RBI single up the middle pushed the MSU lead to 3-1. An error extended the inning and a two-run double plated a pair of unearned runs. In the sixth, MSU tacked on two more with an RBI double and single with two outs.

Jamison took the loss for FHSU, moving to 0-1, while Rodriguez scattered nine hits with five runs allowed (three earned), two strikeouts, and a walk over six innings of work.

Caitlin Stone moved to 2-0 for the Mavericks, tossing a complete game with five hits and a walk allowed to go with her three strikeouts.

St. Cloud State 6, Fort Hays State 4
Fort Hays State fell victim to a big fifth inning by St. Cloud State as the game turned in a matter of moments. FHSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but a six-run fifth vaulted the Huskies into the lead. SCSU held on for a 6-4 decision over the Tigers, moving to 9-1 overall on the season.

Home runs caused the majority of damage in this game. FHSU took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a three-run homer by Bailey Boxberger after Lily Sale reached by error and Candace Bollig singled earlier in the inning.

Hailey Chapman cruised along through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. A pair of singles with one out triggered St. Cloud’s big rally. Libby Bingham brought home both with a double, cutting the FHSU lead to 3-2. A walk and another well placed infield single loaded the bases and then the biggest blow came from Morgan Emmans with a grand slam.

Sierra Rodriguez relieved for Chapman starting in the sixth and held the Huskies scoreless for an inning. Grace Philop led off the seventh with a solo home run, but the Tigers could not get anything else going as they fell by a pair of runs.

Chapman moved to 0-8 on the year with the loss. Kylie Thomsen went the distance for SCSU, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits with two strikeouts. She is now 7-0 on the year.

Fort Hays State returns home to host a pair of non-conference games against Wayne State (Neb.) on Wednesday (Feb. 28), starting at 2 pm.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Fort Hays State fell to Sioux Falls by a score of 2-0 on Saturday (Feb. 24) at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. The Tigers scratched out just one hit and could not take advantage of six walks allowed along with a hit by pitch. FHSU moved to 2-12 overall, while Sioux Falls improved to 2-3 overall.

Like Friday’s loss to Augustana, the opponent did all of its damage in one inning against FHSU. Sioux Falls plated two runs thanks to a double followed by a two-run home run by Frankie Mickelson in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie.

Tiger pitcher Hailey Chapman went the distance in the game, shutting the Cougars out for five innings. She did not allow a hit through the first three innings. Despite her two-run blemish in the sixth, Chapman struck out four and allowed eight hits with two walks.

Sioux Falls used a pair of pitchers in the game to combine for one hit allowed. Starter Kerrigan Hoshaw allowed one hit and four walks, but did not get a decision in her four innings pitched due to the game being scoreless when she handed the ball over to reliever Courtney Mathews. The USF reliever tossed three innings of no-hit ball, with two walks and a hit batter. Lily Sale had the only hit for FHSU to lead off the third.

The Tigers had runners reach scoring position in just two innings, both times at second base. They had a pair of runners on at first and second with one out in the seventh, but a lineout and pop out ended the game.

The Tigers play two games on Sunday at the tournament. They face No. 1 ranked Minnesota State at 7 am before taking on tournament host St. Cloud State at 11 am.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team is sending four Tigers’ to the NCAA Division II Championships on Friday and Saturday (Mar. 9-10) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the NCAA Midwest Super Regional on Saturday (Feb. 24), Efe Osaghae claimed a runner-up finish at 149 pounds, while Rakim Dean (197) earned a third-place finish and both No. 3 Brandon Ball (141) and Ryne Cokeley (157) captured fourth-place finishes to solidify spots at Nationals.

After going 3-0 on day one and sealing his birth at nationals, fourth-ranked Osaghae fell in the title bout in a 5-4 decision at the hands of fifth-ranked Daxton Gordon of California Baptist.

Senior Rakim Dean was the fourth Tiger to qualify for nationals after defeating Donavon Rincon of CSU-Pueblo with a 9-1 major decision and Garrett Strang of California Baptist in the consolation championship with a 6-1 decision to claim a third-place finish. Dean will make his first appearance at the DII National Championships.

For the second-straight season, third-ranked Ball earned a trip to the NCAA DII Championships. This time around, the sophomore took home a fourth-place finish at regionals. In his first match of the day, Ball returned the favor to Clay Archer of CSU-Pueblo as he claimed a 10-0 major decision victory this go-around. Ball dropped the consolation championship to Dylan Udero of Adams State in overtime, 6-4.

Junior Ryne Cokeley qualified for nationals in his first season as a Tiger. Cokeley claimed a fourth-place finish after defeating Bryan Dutton of Central Oklahoma in the consolation semifinals with a 6-2 decision before falling to Matt Malcom of Nebraska-Kearney for the second time this weekend in a 10-2 major decision.

Fort Hays State finished sixth in the team standings. California Baptist won the super regional with 114.5 points, followed by Nebraska-Kearney with 111 and Adams State with 90.

Team Scores
1. California Baptist 114.5
2. Nebraska-Kearney 111.0
3 Adams State 90.0
4 CSU-Pueblo 84.5
5 Western State 73.5
6 Fort Hays State 72.0
7 Central Oklahoma 59.5
8 Simon Fraser 44.0
9 San Francisco State 42.5
T10 Colorado Mesa 38.5
T10 Newman 38.5
12 Ouachita Baptist 28.0
13 Colorado School of Mines 27.5
14 Chadron State College 24.0
15 New Mexico Highlands 15.0

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – A four-run fifth inning by Augustana was too much for Fort Hays State to overcome in a 4-3 loss on Friday evening (Feb. 23) in the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. The Tigers scored a run in the seventh to get within one, but it was not enough as they moved to 2-11 on the season. Augustana moved to 5-4.

The Tigers took the lead early with a run in the bottom of the third on a Tess Gray RBI single. Candace Bollig drew a walk and eventually came in to score from second on Gray’s hit.

Hailey Chapman cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit, before running into trouble in the fifth. She allowed a double and single, then Sierra Rodriguez relieved in her place. Rodriguez could not stop the Vikings’ momentum as an infield single loaded the bases, then a single down the left field line plated two runs. A double plated two more and all of the sudden Augustana led 4-1.

The Tigers answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Lily Sale led off the inning with a single and eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Grace Philop. With one out, though, the Tigers could not push any more runs across, stranding runners at second and third.

The Tigers threatened to tie the game in their last at bat as Sale reached base to start the inning by error. She came in to score on a one-out RBI double by Bollig. However, a strikeout and groundout ended the game with the tying run in scoring position.

Chapman took the loss for FHSU since the first two runners to cross the plate in the fifth were her responsibility. She allowed three hits and struck out three. Rodriguez allowed five hits and struck out one in three innings of relief.

Lexy Pederson benefitted from her team taking the lead in the top of the fifth before she handed the ball over to Amber Elliott to close out the last three innings. Pederson moved to 3-0, throwing 4.0 innings with six hits, a walk, and one strikeout. Elliott allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four strikeouts to earn her first save of the year.

The Tigers return to action with one game on Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls, scheduled at 3:30 pm.

KEARNEY, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney edged Fort Hays State 65-62 in a tight battle Tuesday night (Feb. 20). Late miscues by the Tigers aided the Lopers in escaping a game where neither team built more than a six-point lead. FHSU moved to 16-11 overall, 9-9 in the MIAA, while UNK evened the regular season series with FHSU and improved to 14-13 overall, 10-8 in the MIAA.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Both teams struggled offensively in the early going as UNK was the first to climb over 10 points at the 12:04 mark of the first half. A 7-0 run by UNK produced its biggest lead of the game, 15-9, with 10:29 to go. But, the Tigers chipped away and took the lead eventually, 26-24, before the count at halftime settled at a 29-29 tie.

FHSU had the upper hand early in the second half, coming out of the break on a 6-0 run to build its largest lead of six points, 35-29, at the 17:55 mark. Hadley Gillum opened the scoring with a basket that pushed him over the 1,000-point mark in his career at FHSU. He is the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000. Gillum scored all 15 of his points on the night after halftime. Brady Werth, who chipped in a pair of baskets in the run, went on to lead the Tigers with 17 points.

Even with the early run, the Tigers could not shake the Lopers and the teams battled in a tight contest the rest of the way through. From the 12:43 mark all the way to the end of the game, neither team built a lead larger than four points.

Down by three with under a minute to play, UNK fouled Marcus Cooper on a stickback bucket off an offensive rebound. He sunk the free throw to tie the game for the 12th time, 62-62. Cooper finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

With the game tied, UNK called timeout with 21 seconds remaining to set up offense with the shot clock off. However, on the inbounds, Cooper overplayed the ball and fouled Lane Rohrich, who went to the line and sunk 1-of-2 attempts. FHSU still had a chance to win the game, but Kyler Kinnamon opted to go to the basket with 10 seconds remaining and his running layup attempt was off the mark.

Isaiah McKay of UNK went to the free-throw line and dropped a pair of shots, giving UNK a three-point lead. FHSU still had a chance to tie, but Grant Holmes had the ball stolen away beyond the three-point line on the right wing and could not get a potential tying shot off.

Fort Hays State shot only 34.9 percent from the field and 27.8 percent beyond the three-point line. UNK was worse beyond the arc at 23.5 percent, but managed to shoot 42.3 percent overall from the field.

The Tigers fell for a fifth straight time in Kearney and now Thursday night’s game (Feb. 22) against Southwest Baptist will be critical to lock up a first-round home game in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers, for the time being, slide to eighth in the conference standings. Senior night tip-off is set for 7:30 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Hadley Gillum, the lone senior on the team, will be honored before the game.

KEARNEY, Neb. – With Nebraska-Kearney in the midst of a 12-0 run and trying to pull away in the fourth quarter, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team went to its leading scorer in search of an answer. Tatyana Legette did that and more, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter to help the Tigers rally back for a huge road win Tuesday evening (Feb. 20), 69-67.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers improve to 22-5 on the year and more importantly 13-5 in MIAA play, where they are now in sole possession of third place in the conference standings. Nebraska-Kearney dips to 20-6 overall and 12-6 in league action after losing for the third time in five games.

Fort Hays State can secure a first round bye in the MIAA Tournament and a trip to Kansas City when Southwest Baptist makes the trip to Hays on Thursday (Feb. 22). First tip in the Senior Night contest is set for 5:30 p.m.

After the Lopers scored 10-straight points to close the third quarter, the home team scored first in the fourth period to stretch out its largest lead of the evening, 48-42. The Tigers missed their next three shots before deciding to go to Legette in the post. A strong post move from the junior ended the UNK run and started a scoring spurt for the Tigers.

Carly Heim added a layup on the following possession following a Kacey Kennett offensive rebound to cut within two before Legette made a steal around midcourt and tied things up with a breakaway layup. The Tigers took the lead on the following possession when Kennett hit a pair of free throws after grabbing another offensive rebound.

The teams then went back-and-forth over the next two minutes, scoring on seven-straight possessions. Kelsey Sanger dropped in a layup to give Nebraska-Kearney what would prove to be its final lead of the game with four minutes to play, 57-56.

The lead changed hands for the 14th and final time got the ball to Legette on back-to-back possessions, with the forward getting fouled in the act of making a layup both times. Legette hit both free throws to put the Tigers in front by five, 62-57. While the Tigers played solid defense on one end of the floor, Legette and Heim added free throws on the other end to put the Tigers in front by seven with 66 seconds to play, 64-57.

Fort Hays State led by seven once again with 43 seconds to play after Kennett dropped in a pair of free throws, but the Lopers closed within one over the next 27 seconds. McKenzie Brown made a layup and was fouled, making the free throw before Alyssa Frauendorfer drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner with 16 seconds to play.

Emma Stroyan hit two free throws two seconds later to stretch the lead back to three before the Lopers drove to the basket for a quick layup after a timeout. Heim then earned a trip to the line, making the first before missing the second to put the Tigers in front 69-67. The Lopers grabbed the rebound and had to go the length of the floor in just seven seconds, with Michaela Barry heaving up a 3-pointer with two defenders in her face. The ball ricocheted off the front iron as time expired, sealing the victory for FHSU.

The Tigers had their hands full in the first quarter as Nebraska-Kearney hit 4-of-5 from behind the arc to go in front by five after 10 minutes of play, 21-16. FHSU responded with a 15-3 run over a 5-minute stretch in the second quarter, grabbing the lead right back by limiting the Lopers to just two field goals in the period.

Fort Hays State led by as many as eight early in the third quarter, 39-31, when Legette knocked down shots on back-to-back possessions. The Tigers then went cold over the last seven minutes of the third quarter, knocking down just one shot over that span. UNK held the TIgers to just seven points in the third frame, their lowest scoring output in a quarter this season.

Legette led all scorers with a season-high 22 points, knocking down 9-of-13 from the floor (9-of-10 from inside the 3-point line) and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe. Belle Barbieri grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass to help the Tigers to 17 second-chance points. Kennett grabbed a season-high eight rebounds while knocking down all four of her free throws. Stroyan added 14 points, with Heim chipping in 13. Lanie Page dished out three assists and was a handful on the defensive end, swiping one steal and adding two blocks.

The Tigers won the game under the basket, outscoring UNK 46-26 in the paint. Both sides took care of the ball extremely well, making just 17 turnovers between the two teams (FHSU 8, UNK 9). While nothing seemed to fall from behind the arc for the Tigers (1-of-19), they hit an impressive 60.5 percent from inside the 3-point line (26-of-43).

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – New Mexico Highlands may have dominated the first and last innings in Sunday’s series finale, but the Fort Hays State baseball team did just enough in the middle frames to secure the series victory, winning 6-5. The Tigers will now take a 7-3 record into conference play next weekend, while the Cowboys dip to 3-7 overall.

After allowing double-digit hits in each of the first two games in the series, Ben Ramberg and Sam Capps combined to limit the Cowboys to just five base knocks on Sunday. The Tigers had chances on offense all afternoon, with at least one runner reaching base in all nine innings.

The Cowboys took advantage of two Tiger errors in the bottom of the first inning, pushing across three runs on just one hit.

Fort Hays State answered right away, scoring three runs of its own in the top of the second. Ryan Grasser opened the inning with a double to left before a pitch hit Jordan Wilkerson. Bryce Whitchurch knocked a single to left two batters later, driving in the first run of the inning. Dawson Sramek followed with an RBI sacrifice bunt to score Wilkerson before Addison Kaasch tied things up with a base hit to center, scoring Whitchurch.

The Tigers took the lead in the top of the fifth when Weiss and Dayton Pomeroy were both walked to open the frame. Weiss came in to score when Grasser punched a single through the right side, putting FHSU in front for the first time all afternoon. Pomeroy sprinted home later in the inning when a pitch slipped past the catcher.

Fort Hays State tallied what proved to be an incredibly important insurance run in the top of the sixth when Sramek singled to lead things off. After he moved to second on a groundout, Clayton Basgall drove in the freshman catcher with a single to center, temporarily padding the lead to 6-3. New Mexico Highlands got the run right back in the bottom of the frame, narrowing the gap back to two.

New Mexico Highlands put up a valiant effort in the bottom of the ninth, but left the tying run 90 feet away. A leadoff single quickly came around to score before Sam Capps came out of the pen to finish things up. The Tigers made a great defensive play with runners at second and third, with Weiss coming home on a ground ball to retire the would-be game-tying baserunner. A walk loaded the bases with two outs before Capps got a flyout to left to end the game.

Ben Ramberg (2-0) had a solid outing, bouncing back from the three early runs to turn in eight innings of work. The righty earned his second win of the season after allowing just five runs on five hits while striking out four. He faced the minimum in four innings, setting the Cowboys down in order three times while getting a double play to retire the lone runner in the second. Capps picked up his second save after he did not allow a hit in his inning of relief, allowing just two runners to reach base via the walk.

Grasser turned in three hits on the afternoon, scoring one run and driving in another. Four other Tigers collected a pair of hits in the victory, giving the Tigers 13 hits on the day.

Fort Hays State will be back in action next week with the opening of conference play. The Tigers will hit the road to take on Pittsburg State beginning Friday (Feb. 23) at 2 p.m.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State played just one game on Sunday, facing Upper Iowa, as several teams opted not to play the final day of the FHSU Crossover Tournament due to sustained high winds in Hays. Upper Iowa defeated FHSU 8-3, moving to 6-2 overall on the season. FHSU is now 2-10.

Upper Iowa plated two runs in the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh innings to build an 8-0 lead before FHSU put three runs on the board in the final inning. Sierra Rodriguez started the day in the pitching circle and lasted 2.1 innings before handing the ball to Hailey Chapman. Rodriguez gave up two runs on six hits and struck out won. She took the loss, moving to 2-4 on the year. Chapman allowed four runs (three earned) over 2.2 innings on five hits and struck out three. Carrie Clarke relieved for an inning and allowed two runs on four hits, while striking out one. Megan Jamison got the final three outs for FHSU, allowing one hit with one strikeout.

Singles by Bailey Boxberger and Sara Breckbill triggered the rally in the seventh. The Tigers loaded the bases and pinch runner Sydney Harsh plated the first run by scoring on a wild pitch. Lily Sale picked up an RBI on a groundout to the shortstop, then Terran Caldwell rifled a double to the left center gap for another RBI.

Upper Iowa pitcher Jaclyn Thompson cruised through the first six innings, allowing just one hit over that span. She allowed four hits in the Tiger seventh to finish with five allowed for the day. She walked four and struck out five, moving to 3-0 on the season.

Fort Hays State heads to the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament next weekend in St. Cloud, Minn., inside the Husky Dome.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State baseball team attempted another late comeback against New Mexico Highlands, but the rally came up short on Saturday (Feb. 17), losing 12-8 on the road. The Tigers dip to 6-3 on the year, while the Cowboys are now 3-6 overall. The teams will face off in the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT (noon MT).

The Tigers scored four runs in the final inning after heading into the ninth behind 12-4, but the rally was cut short.

Fort Hays State pushed across eight runs on 12 hits and two Cowboy errors, while the home team scraped together 12 runs on 14 hits and five Tiger defensive miscues.

The Tigers jumped in front early when Jordan Wilkerson crushed his third home run of the season in the second inning before NMHU struck for four runs on three errors in the home half of the third.

Four base knocks in the fourth inning helped FHSU tie the score, with Dayton Pomeroy leading off with a single through the left side. Wilkerson clubbed a double to left center two batters later, putting a pair in scoring position for Ryan Grasser. The team leader in doubles came through with another two-bagger, driving in two with a drive to right center. Grasser came around to score two batters later when Dawson Sramek sent a single to center, knotting things up at 4-4.

The Cowboys went back in front with two runs in the fifth before tacking on two more in the seventh and four in the eighth.

A one-out walk to pinch hitter Jason Nicholson kick-started the Tiger rally in the ninth. Addison Kaasch doubled down the line in left in the next at bat, his third hit of the afternoon. After an RBI groundout from Clayton Basgall, Alex Weiss kept things rolling with an RBI single to center. Pomeroy followed with a two-run home run, his third long ball of the season, before a strikeout ended the comeback effort.

Kaasch reached base four times, collecting three hits while working one walk. Pomeroy finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Ryan Ruder (1-1) took the loss after allowing six runs (two earned) on 10 hits over six innings of work. The sophomore struck out two batters on the afternoon.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State softball team dropped a pair of games on Saturday (Feb. 17) in the first day of the FHSU Crossover Tournament. The Tigers fell to No. 12 Harding in the first game, 8-0 in five innings, then falling in a nine inning affair with the Wildcats of Wayne State, 7-6.

No. 12 Harding 8, Fort Hays State 0 (5 inn.)
The Tigers fell by run rule in their first matchup Saturday, an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Bisons. FHSU scraped together two hits in the contest but couldn’t get past second base after a Bailey Kennedy double to center in the second inning.

Lily Sale recorded the other hit for the Tigers in the bottom of the third frame with a single to center field.

Sierra Rodriguez pitched 3.1 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while striking out two batters. Hailey Chapman came on in relief, throwing 1.2 innings. Chapman surrendered two more runs on four hits while also picking up two strikeouts.

Wayne State 7, Fort Hays State 6 (9 inn.)
Unlike the shortened first game, the Tigers’ second contest was determined in the ninth inning after they crawled back in both the seventh and eighth innings to force another frame, eventually falling to the Wildcats, 7-6.

The Tigers had their fair share of opportunities to score in this one after stranding 14 runners on base in nine innings of play. Wayne State led 4-0 halfway through the fifth frame before the Tigers countered with a couple runs of their own on singles from both Sale and Terron Caldwell to lead off the inning. Sale came around to score on a Candace Bollig RBI single up the middle, putting the Tigers on the board. Caldwell scored on the very next play, cutting the Wildcats lead in half, 4-2. Neither team was able to capitalize on anything in the sixth after the Tigers left the bases loaded. FHSU pulled even with the WSC in the seventh inning after Bailey Boxberger roped an RBI triple down the left field line, scoring Grace Philop. Boxberger crossed the plate one play later on a single from Sara Breckbill giving the some Tigers life by sending the game to extras.

Using the International Tiebreaker Scenario, WSC picked up a two run lead in the eighth before Caldwell used an RBI single to score Jeni Mohr. Sarah Kay then drew a bases loaded walk, extending the game even further. The Wildcats scored another run in the top of the ninth, eventually ending up as the deciding run in the contest after three straight ground-outs consumed all hope for the Tigers.

Chapman took the loss for the Tigers in the second game, going the distance while giving up all seven runs, striking out six batters and walking three more.

FHSU is back in action Sunday (Feb. 18), wrapping up the crossover tournament with an 11 a.m. meeting with Upper Iowa and a 1 p.m. date with Rogers State. Both games will be held at Tiger Stadium.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State baseball team rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat New Mexico Highlands in extra innings Friday afternoon (Feb. 16), 9-8. The Tigers improved to 6-2 with the win, while the Cowboys are now 2-6 on the year.

The Tigers scored two runs in the top of the ninth to tie things up before winning the game in the 13th inning. FHSU scored its nine runs on 13 hits and seven Cowboy errors, while NMHU pushed across eight runs on 10 hits and two Tiger errors.

The Cowboys scored single runs in each of the first four innings to take an early lead. The home team added two more runs in the home half of the sixth before the Tiger bullpen came on to calm the Cowboy bats. Cole Schumacher, Alex Ruxlow and Cody Rottinghaus combined to keep NMHU off the board until the 11th inning, giving the Tigers an opportunity to rally.

Fort Hays State started its comeback in the top of the third inning when Jason Nicholson reached on a two-out error and promptly swiped second base. Clayton Basgall made NMHU pay for the defensive miscue, driving a double to right to plate Nicholson and closing the gap to 2-1 at the time.

Trailing 6-1, the Tigers took advantage of two more Cowboy errors in the top of the seventh to narrow the deficit to two runs, 6-4. Addison Kaasch doubled to right to open the inning before Jordan Wilkerson put runners at the corners with a single to left. The pair came around to score with Ryan Grasser at the dish on two Cowboy errors, allowing Grasser to reach third base. The junior sprinted home two batters later when Marcus Altman punched an RBI groundout to short.

Wilkerson opened the ninth inning with his third base hit of the day, doubling to left field. Grasser followed with an RBI double to left center, helping the Tigers close within one, 6-5. Altman reached base two batters later on a hit by pitch before Nicholson worked a walk, loading the bases with one out. Basgall came through with an RBI fielder’s choice to short, beating out the double play to tie things up at 6-6.

The Tigers looked to be in control when they scored a pair of runs in the top of the 11th after Altman led off with a single. The sophomore came around to score two batters later when Basgall reached on an error. Alex Weiss followed with an RBI single to score Basgall, putting the Tigers in front 8-6.

New Mexico Highlands answered with two runs of their own, collecting three singles. Sam Capps came on to strand the winning run at second, giving the Tigers new life. The senior got out of another jam in the 12th, leaving a runner at third with a strikeout.

The Tigers loaded the bases in the 13th on another error and singles from Basgall and Weiss. Kaasch stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs, coming through with an RBI when he was hit by a pitch. Capps mowed through the Cowboys in order in the bottom of the inning, securing the victory for the Tigers.

Basgall and Wilkerson both collected three hits, with Basgall knocking in two RBI. Capps (1-1) earned the win after giving up just one hit over 2.2 innings of work, striking out two. Schumacher did not allow a baserunner over 1.1 innings pitched while Ruxlow retired five of the six batters he faced. Rottinghaus came out of the bullpen to retire the side in order in the ninth and 10th innings before allowing the two runs in the 11th, giving up two runs on two hits over 2.1 innings of action.

The Tigers and Cowboys will face off in game two of the series on Saturday (Feb. 16) at 2 p.m. CT (1 p.m. MT).