HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball struggled to convert key offensive opportunities in a pair of losses to Missouri Western on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. The Griffons won by scores of 4-1 and 5-1 to move to 22-14 overall, 9-5 in the MIAA. The Tigers are 14-15 overall and fell to 7-7 in MIAA play at.

Game 1: Missouri Western 4, Fort Hays State 1
The Tigers can look at two excellent opportunities squandered in the early going of game one as a big reason for a loss. In the bottom of the second, with the game still scoreless, FHSU loaded the bases with two outs but could not push a run across. An inning later down 1-0, the Tigers loaded the bases again, this time with one out and could not put a ball in play with two straight strikeouts.

The Tigers could have done serious damage in the fourth when they loaded the bases again with one out, but a sacrifice fly RBI by Grace Philop was the only run they had to show for that opportunity. At the time, it cut a 2-0 MWSU lead in half.

Michaelanne Nelson (5-8) threw a complete game for the Tigers with seven hits and two walks allowed, while striking out a season-high seven batters. FHSU and MWSU tied in the hit column with seven each, but the Griffons came up with timely hitting when they needed it. They pushed a 2-1 lead to 4-1 with a pair of runs in the sixth. FHSU left 11 runners on base in the game, compared to six for MWSU.

Missouri Western starter Kaili Hinds lasted only 2.0 innings before Kenzie Hilzer (4-7) worked in relief the rest of the way. Hilzer picked up the win, allowing five hits and two walks over 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts. Hilzer moved to 4-7 on the season.

Game 2: Missouri Western 5, Fort Hays State 1
The Tigers saw a bit of déjà vu in game two, coming up empty in a one-out bases loaded situation in the first inning. With Missouri Western already leading 2-0 after a two-run home run in the top of the inning, the Tigers could not counter with any runs of their own in the bottom half. A strikeout and groundout ended the Tiger threat.

Fort Hays State trimmed the lead in half to 2-1 in the third inning when Bailey Boxberger had an RBI single to right field, scoring Terran Caldwell from second with two outs. From that point, the Tiger bats went silent as MWSU pitcher Lexi Kinnaird (6-3) recorded 12 consecutive outs to close out the complete game. Kinnaird allowed six and struck out seven.

Hailey Chapman (8-7) produced her second double-digit strikeout performance in the circle this year, fanning 11 Griffons in a complete-game effort. She allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks in the loss.

Tiger Notes
-Grace Philop and Terran Caldwell led the Tigers with three hits each in the doubleheader.
-MWSU had five extra-base hits in the doubleheader compared to just one by FHSU.
-FHSU pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts, compared to 15 by the MWSU staff.
-Missouri Western now has five straight wins over FHSU going back to the 2017 season.

Up Next
Fort Hays State hosts Northwest Missouri State (9-16, 4-8 MIAA) on Sunday at Tiger Stadium. The doubleheader starts at 12 pm.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Despite scoring three runs in the first inning, the Fort Hays State baseball team dropped the second game of their weekend conference series to Northwest Missouri State 4-3 Saturday at Bearcat Field. o 3-26 overall and 2-18 in conference play, while the Bearcats moved to 16-15 on the season and 12-8 in MIAA action.

Tyler Olson’s double down the left field line scored scored Landon Erway to give the Tigers (3-26, 2-18 MIAA) and early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Ryan Grasser then delivered a two-run single, scoring Olson and Taylan Mullins-Ohm.

Tiger starter Ethan Booe shut down the Bearcat (16-15, 12-8 MIAA) bats for the better part of three innings until they cut into the Tiger lead with an RBI single in the third. The Bearcats tied the score at 3-3 in the fourth with an RBI double and an RBI single in consecutive plate appearances. NWMSU took the lead for good in the fifth with a sacrifice fly.

Booe tossed 5 1/3 innings allowing four runs on eight hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Ryan Brown pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits with a strikeout.

Quintin Van Ackeren (4-1) allowed three runs on three hits over six innings. Alex Slocum, Aaron Easley and Trevor Dudar combined to pitch three innings of one-hit, shutout ball with Dudar picking up his seventh save of the season.

The Tigers and Bearcats will wrap up the series on Sunday (April 7) inside Bearcat Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped the series opener to Northwest Missouri State on Friday 9-2. The Tigers moved to 3-25 overall and 2-17 in conference play, while the Bearcats moved to 15-15 on the season and 11-8 in MIAA action.

Marcus Altman had three of the Tigers six hits going 3-for-3. He hit a lead-off double in the third inning and two singles, one in the fifth and one in the eighth. Ryan Grasser, Jared Maneth and Tyler Olson were the only other Tigers to produce a hit in the contest.

Tiger starter Ryan Ruder pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball before the Bearcats got to him with two runs in the third. An eight-hit, seven-run fifth inning chased Ruder from the game as NWMSU increased their lead to 9-0.

Jared Maneth put the Tigers on the board in the ninth inning lifting a fly ball over the left field wall for his first home run of the season. The 2-run blast scored Bryce Baumwart.

The Tigers and Bearcats will lace it up for game two of the series on Saturday with a first pitch slated for 2 p.m. from Bearcat Field.

HAYS, Kan. – After falling 7-1 in the first game of the day, Fort Hays State handed No. 2 ranked Central Oklahoma its third loss of the season and their first in conference play with a 7-6 walk-off win in eight innings in game two of their doubleheader Tuesday at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers moved to 14-13 overall, 7-5 in the MIAA while the Bronchos moved to 29-3 and 11-1 in conference play.

Game 1: Central Oklahoma 7, Fort Hays State 1
After holding Central Oklahoma scoreless over the first two innings, Fort Hays State starting pitcher Michaelanne Nelson ran into trouble in the third by allowing a single and two walks with two outs to load the bases. Carli Jones made the Tigers pay for the two free passes in front of her by hitting a grand slam over the right field wall, instantly putting UCO on top 4-0.

The Bronchos tacked on two more runs in the fourth with a pair of RBI singles and then pushed the lead to 7-0 in the sixth with another RBI single. Two of the singles were from JoBi Heath and the other from Bailey Thompson. Jones’ big blast in the third was enough for the Bronchos, while limiting the Tigers to just a single run in the sixth.

Sara Breckbill was the only Tiger to drive in a run in the first game. Her RBI single in the sixth brought in Terran Caldwell, who started the inning with a double followed up by a single from Katie Adler.

Bailey McKittrick held FHSU hitless over the first 4.1 innings, allowing just a walk and a hit batter to that point. Jeni Mohr broke up her no-hit bid in the fifth with a single to the left side, beating out the shortstop’s throw at first base. The Tigers started to solve McKittrick further in the sixth with three hits, which was a precursor to good things that happened late against her in game two. McKittrick moved to 15-0 on the season with the win, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts.

Nelson moved to 5-7 on the season with the loss. She allowed seven runs on 11 hits and seven walks. She struck out four. Megan Jamison picked up the final three outs for the Tigers in the seventh, allowing a hit with a strikeout.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 7, Central Oklahoma 6 (8 inn.)
Fort Hays State took an early 2-0 lead in game two, but had to come from behind twice to defeat nationally ranked UCO in game two. The Tigers outhit the Bronchos 16-7, but overcame fielding and baserunning mistakes to win 7-6 in walk-off fashion on a hit to the wall by Sara Breckbill in the eighth inning.

A fielding error by the Bronchos extended the first inning and the Tigers made them pay with back-to-back RBI singles from Bailey Boxberger and Elise Capra. However, with the 2-0 lead, FHSU starting pitcher Hailey Chapman struggled with command in the second and a pair of wild pitches led to UCO scoring a pair of runs to tie the game with two outs in the inning. UCO then jumped in front 3-2 with an RBI double.

The Bronchos helped the Tigers out further in the bottom of the second when a throwing error allowed a run to score with just one out in the inning. The Tigers could have taken the lead on a grounder to the right side of the infield with runners at first and third, but a base-running blunder turned into a double play and left the score knotted at 3-3.

The Tigers found themselves in a hole once more when UCO plated three more runs in the third. Game-one nemesis Carli Jones struck again with a two-run homer to right field, nearly in the same location as her game one grand slam, giving UCO a 5-3 lead. The lead moved to 6-3 when a throwing error to first base with two outs allowed another run to score.

After a rough pair of innings, Chapman settled in to hold the nation’s seventh-best hitting and eighth-best run scoring team scoreless over the final five innings. That allowed FHSU to claw its way back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and a single run in the fifth to tie the game 6-6.

In the third, Breckbill led off with a single and then Boxberger backed it up with a double. That chased UCO starting pitcher Sydney McLeod from the game. Against reliever Lauren Gibson, Allison Jurgensen came up with a two-RBI single to cut the lead to 6-5. Jurgensen delivered again in the fifth with a bloop RBI-single down the right field line that scored the tying run.

Chapman allowed only two hits over her final five innings in a complete game effort. She got out of jams with runners at third in both the sixth and eighth innings to give the Tigers a chance to win. They finally seized that opportunity in the bottom of the eighth off game-one starter Bailey McKittrick, who entered the game to pitch at the beginning of the inning. A well-placed infield single by Terran Caldwell to the left side started the rally. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Katie Adler. After Grace Philop flew out to center field, Breckbill gave the Tigers a victory with a lazer shot over the left fielder’s head that plated Caldwell from second. It also gave McKittrick her first losing decision of the season in the circle.

Chapman moved to 8-6 overall with the win. She allowed seven hits and six walks, while striking out nine. The last of her strikeouts stranded UCO’s potential go-ahead runner at third to end the eighth inning. Five of her six runs allowed were earned.

Tiger Notes
-FHSU picked up its first win over a ranked team in over three years. The last was a 5-1 win over No. 20 Augustana on February 19, 2016.
-Bailey Boxberger went 4-for-4 at the plate in game two of the doubleheader.
-Allison Jurgensen drove in the most runs for the Tigers in the 7-6 win with three.
-Central Oklahoma’s only other losses this year were to non-conference opponents Texas A&M-Commerce and Augustana.
-Fort Hays State now has three walk-off wins this season, two on hits by Grace Philop and now one by Sara Breckbill.

Up Next
Fort Hays State will remain at home for the next pair of conference doubleheaders. Missouri Western comes to Hays on Saturday, April 6 and then Northwest Missouri State is in town on Sunday, April 7. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for 12 pm.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball split a pair of MIAA games with Northeastern State on Monday at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers held on for a 4-3 win in the first game before falling by a score of 9-4 in the second contest. FHSU is now 13-12 overall, 6-4 in the MIAA, while NSU moved to 20-13 overall, 8-2 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 4, Northeastern State 3
Fort Hays State rallied twice for the lead and then held on late for a 4-3 win. Trailing NSU 1-0 after an inning, FHSU scored twice in the third to take the lead for the first time, 2-1. NSU took the lead back, 3-2, with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but FHSU answered with a pair in the bottom half to create the final advantage of 4-3.

The Tigers tied the game in the third at 1-1 when Jeni Mohr and Katie Adler used some crafty baserunning after the RiverHawks recorded an out at second base. Adler, who put the ball in play, rounded first base after she was easily safe at first. The pitcher tried to make a play on her at second, but Mohr came in to score from third base, getting in under a tag. Grace Philop then drove in Adler from second with an RBI single up the middle.

Northeastern State tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the fifth by Alyssia Crick, she moved up to second on the throw home and then a muffed throw allowed her to move to third. She then came in to score on an RBI single by Madison Boyd as NSU took the lead back with an unearned run.

Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger, who all finished with two hits in the game, rallied the Tigers back in the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles. Boxberger’s RBI single to right field tied the game. Elise Capra followed with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field, putting the Tigers back in front for good even though they had to get through a pair of high-stress situations in the sixth and seventh.

A pair of walks by NSU to open the sixth led to runners at second and third with just one out. Hailey Chapman relieved starter Michaelanne Nelson after the pair of walks and got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts. In the seventh, Chapman worked around a single and then a fielding error that put runners at first and second. She got a foul pop up to end the game.

Nelson moved to 5-6 with the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. She struck out five. Chapman picked up a two-inning save, striking out three with one hit allowed. It was her first save of the season. Gail Young took the loss for NSU, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits with a strikeout in her complete-game effort.

Game 2: Northeastern State 9, Fort Hays State 4
Northeastern State reversed roles in the second game, earning a comeback win after falling down early 2-0. NSU plated runs in five straight innings, from the second through sixth, to earn the split.

FHSU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, set up on back-to-back singles by Katie Adler and Grace Philop. Sara Breckbill brought in Adler on a sacrifice fly RBI, then Bailey Boxberger had an RBI single up the middle.

The RiverHawks benefitted from an error in the second to get the game tied. After a leadoff single eventually turned into a run, an error helped extend the inning and Alyssia Crick tied the game with an RBI single. Another error in the third led to two of three runs in the inning being unearned as NSU took a 5-2 lead.

The Tigers got two of the runs back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Breckbill and then a run scoring on a throwing error by the RiverHawks, reducing the lead to 5-4. However, that was as close as they would get as a solo homer in the fourth and RBI single in the fifth pushed the lead back out to three for NSU. The RiverHawks added on a pair of runs in the sixth to create even more distance.

Northeastern State starter Sydney Balderrama settled in after allowing four runs (three earned) in the first three innings. She retired the final 12 Tiger batters of the game, going flawless over the fourth through seventh innings in a complete-game win. She allowed six hits and struck out four.

Hailey Chapman allowed six runs (three earned) in four innings pitched. She surrendered eight hits and walked one, while striking out four. Michaelanne Nelson allowed three runs in three innings of relief, giving up four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Tiger Notes
-Katie Adler, Grace Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger all had three hits on the day.
-FHSU pitchers Michaelanne Nelson and Hailey Chapman combined for 16 strikeouts over 14 innings.
-FHSU is 6-2 at home this year. The Tigers are 4-2 at home in MIAA play so far.
-FHSU is currently tied for fifth in the MIAA standings.

Up Next
Fort Hays State hosts No. 2 ranked Central Oklahoma in another MIAA doubleheader on Tuesday (Apr. 2). The Bronchos are 10-0 in MIAA play so far and 28-2 overall.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to overcome seven errors in Monday’s series finale with Lindenwood, falling to the Lions 11-5 at Larks Park. The Tigers move to 3-24 overall and 2-16 in MIAA play while the Lions improve to 17-15 on the year and 11-7 in conference action.

Jerod Goodale Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Taylan Mullins-Ohm crushed his second home run of the season, sending an 0-1 pitch sailing over the fence in left center. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lindenwood pushed across five runs, including three unearned runs, over the next two frames to take a 5-1 lead through three innings.

Fort Hays State hitters had trouble solving Blake Beckmann (2-3), the Lions starting pitcher. Beckmann struck out 11 Tigers over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win.

The Tigers struck for three more runs in Beckmann’s final frame, but not after Lindenwood added four runs in the top of the sixth. After Landon Erway beat out a bloop single with a headfirst slide into first and Mullins-Ohm worked a walk, the pair came around to score after multiple wild pitches. Tyler Olson pulled the Tigers within 9-4 later in the inning when he belted his first home run as a Tiger to deep left center.

Lindenwood padded the lead to six with a run in the top of the seventh before FHSU tacked on one more in the home half of the eighth. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Erway, Mullins-Ohm and Ryan Grasser loaded up the bases to get the Tigers in business. But Lindenwood’s Michael Cessna, who earned his fourth save, got back in control thanks to a big double play that scored Erway. The reliever escaped the inning without further damage after striking out the next hitter.

Erway finished 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot while scoring two runs. Mullins-Ohm was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Catcher Dawson Sramek recorded his third multi-hit game of the season after finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Cody Rottinghaus (1-3) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs (six earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over 5.2 innings on the mound. Jake Taylor finished things off out of the pen, giving up a pair of runs on four hits while striking out one over 3.1 innings of work.

The Tigers are schedule to hit the road again next week when they travel to Maryville, Mo. for a three-game set with Northwest Missouri State. The series begins with a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped a pair of games to Lindenwood Sunday afternoon at Larks Park. The Tigers were overpowered by the Lions pitching in both contests, falling 13-1 in the opener before taking a 16-3 loss in the nightcap. The Tigers (3-23, 2-15 MIAA) and Lions (16-15, 10-7 MIAA) will wrap up the series Monday beginning at 1 p.m.

Game One: Lindenwood 13, Fort Hays State 1
The Tigers could only muster five hits in the opener. Landon Erway and Jared Haynes tallied two hits each, while Ryan Grasser earned the other hit and the lone RBI. Ryan Ruder (1-5) started on the mound and allowed eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, striking out two and walking one in 4.0 innings of work. Chase Werth came on in relief but was tagged for five runs (four earned) in two innings. Jake Vieira tossed a scoreless frame in the seventh, while earning one strikeout.

Game Two: Lindenwood 16, Fort Hays State 3
In the nightcap, Tiger starter Ethan Booe tossed 6.0 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits while striking out one and walking four batters. Ryan Brown was tapped for six runs (five earned) in 0.2 of the seventh frame before Tanner Smith came on in relief to get the final out of the inning. Wyatt Schumacher tossed one inning, while giving up two runs on one hit and one walk.

The Lions built their 9-0 lead heading into the home half of the seventh with a seven-run frame. LWU posted a three-run home run, a two RBI triple, and earned three runs on two Tiger miscues.

The Tiger bats fared better in the second game, as they were able to post eight hits. Tyler Olson picked up his fifth multi-hit bid of the season while Grasser, Haynes, Jared Maneth and Cody Starkel each earned a hit in the contest. Kyler Cox and Taylan Mullins-Ohm produced key pinch-hit singles that led to Haynes finding the center field wall for a two-out 2 RBI double in the eighth inning.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team claimed four individual first place finishes in their lone home meet of the season, the Alex Francis Classic. The event, which was moved up one day due to impending weather, was held in Hays and was the second outdoor meet of the season for the men.

On the day, five Tigers finished in the top position in their events. Philip Landrum, who is coming off his indoor nationals appearance, finished in first in the 200-meters with a time of 21.37. In the 800-meters, Brett Meyer earned the top spot with a time of 1:54.24. In three field events the Tigers earned their high finish. Kolt Newell won his second-straight high jump event with a height of 6 feet, 6 ¾ inches. Cameron Fouts rounded out the top finishes for FHSU with his winning javelin throw of 184 feet, 9 inches.

Besides the first place finishes, the Tigers held their own on their home track as many ran away with top-ten finishes. In the 200-meters, Malcom Gardner finishes in the runner up position at 21.51, followed in fourth place by Brayden Soza at 22.25. Shane Finegan claimed ninth in the 400-meters with a time of 52.89, and Alex Barbosa finished in eighth place in the 800-meters at 1:59.91. Barbosa also earned a fifth place finish in the 1,500-meters with his time of 4:10.10.

In the 5,000-meters, Layton Werth ended in third place at 15:14.60, with Reed Rome coming in fourth (15:19.58), Israel Barco in sixth (15:38.35) and Kaleb Crum in ninth place (15:59.05). Sabino Medrano earned a fifth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.53 and Matthew Pieper finish in the top ten in tenth place at 16.40. In the extended version of the hurdles in the 400-meters, Pieper finished in fourth with a time of 58.23, followed by Medrano in fifth place with his time of 1:01.27.

Robert Loeffler earned a fourth place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with his mark of 10:18.62, as Peter Franklin earned fifth at 10:21.34 and Christopher Nemechek finishing in seventh with a time of 10:51.92. In relay runs, the quad of Soza, Landrum, Gardner and Adrian Soto finished in second place in the 4×100 with a time of 42.72. Four groups finished in the top-ten in the 4×400 version of the relays, including a second place finish by Gardner, Soto, Pieper and Jake Faerber with a time of 3:30.22.

Moving to field events, the Tigers were able to earn strong finishes throughout the remainder of the events. In the high jump, Lucas Broxterman finished in second place with his mark of 6 feet, 2 ¾ inches and Blayne Godshall earned a sixth place finish at 5 feet, 10 ¾ inches. In the pole vault, four Tigers placed well, led by Mark Faber in second at 15 feet, 3 inches. Ryan Stanley came in fourth (14 feet, 9 inches), Jonathan Ball in sixth (14 feet, 3 ¼ inches) and Brandon Ball (13 feet, 9 ¼ inches) all achieved strong marks at home.

Broxterman added a ninth place finish in the long jump to his day after jumping a mark of 21 feet, 9 ½ inches. In the shot put, Gilbert Peters earned fifth place with a throw of 48 feet, 10 ¾ inches and Sam Garrison finished in sixth with his 48 feet, 4 inch performance. Peters added a fifth place finish in the discus with a throw of 149 feet, 10 inches, followed by Jacob Gaughan in seventh with a throw of 146 feet, 5 inches and Sam Garrison in ninth at 135 feet, 11 inches.

Rounding out the day for the Tigers was an eighth place finish in the hammer throw for Hunter DeGarmo with a distance of 152 feet, 2 inches, and a sixth place finish in the javelin by Trey Teeter with a throw of 162 feet, 4 inches.

The Tigers are back in action next Saturday (April 6) as they travel west to compete in the Colorado Invitational in Boulder, Colo.

The Tiger women capture three first place finishes
In their lone home meet of the season, the Fort Hays State women’s track and field team boasted a strong performance at the Alex Francis Classic. The event, which was moved up one day due to impending weather, was the second outdoor meet for the Tigers on the season.

Yessenia Gonzales captured first place in the 5,000-meters with a time of 18:37.37. Two Tigers claimed first in field events, with Summer Kragel earning the top finish in the high jump at 5 feet, 3 inches and Alexcia Deutscher in the javelin with her provisional and winning throw of 146 feet, 3 inches.

A handful of other Tigers performed strong on the day, finishing in the top-ten in a majority of the events. In the 100-meters, four FHSU athletes placed strong with Lindsay Shupe leading the way in second place at 12.19, Lyric Holman coming in third at 12.49, Bree Hysaw clocking in fourth at 12.54 and Peri Lange crossing the line in sixth place with a time of 12.95. Shupe, Holman and Hysaw also placed in the 200-meters, coming in second (25.50), eighth (26.55) and tenth (27.26).

Lucy Giles finished in eighth place in the 400-meters with a time of 1:04.28, and Grace Buessing placed third in the 800-meters at 2:24.45, followed closely behind by Averi Wilson in sixth with a time of 2:36.28. Wilson also placed in the 1,500-meters coming in fourth at 5:17.03.

Abigail Stewart earned a runner-up finish in the 5,000-meters with her time of 19:25.47, with Tessa Durnell clocking in fourth place at 19:49.87. In the 100-meter hurdles, Haley George captured a seventh place finish with her time of 16.32. In the longer, 400-meter hurdles, Lange finished in the runner-up position with a time of 1:07.51. Courtney Batchman finished the event in eighth place at 1:12.99 followed behind by George in ninth place at 1:18.47.

In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Rylea Oliver finished in second place at 12:47.26 and Carson Pierce clocked a third place time of 13:01.20. Three 4×400 relay teams finished in the top-five, with the quad of Holman, Hysaw, Abby Burton and Shupe coming in second with a time of 4:17.91.

Moving to field events, Cheyenne Nickelson earned a fourth place finish in the pole vault with a jump of 9 feet, 6 ¼ inches. Haley Jones finished in third place in the high jump at 5 feet, 1 inch, with Robin Ritsema coming in third as well at the same height. In the long jump, Kayla Smith earned fifth place at 18 feet, ¼ inches and Rohey Singhateh finished in seventh with a jump of 17 feet, 9 ¾ inches. Singhateh claimed second in the triple jump, earning a distance of 38 feet, 5 ½ inches. Smith followed Singhateh by coming in fourth with her jump of 37 feet, 1/5 inches.

In the discus, Laurel Haley finished in sixth place at 128 feet, ½ inches and Logan Batchman earned ninth at 110 feet, 11 inches. Julia Wagner earned fifth place in the hammer throw with her attempt of 152 feet, 10 inches. In the javelin, two other Tigers finished behind Deutscher as Kalynn Foster earned second place at 123 feet 9 inches and Kaci Vaughan captured fourth place at 114 feet, 3 inches.

The Tigers are back in action next Saturday (April 6) as they travel west to compete in the Colorado Invitational in Boulder, Colo.

HAYS, Kan. – Tyler Olson had three hits and Marcus Altman drove in three runs to lead the Fort Hays State baseball team’s 14-hit explosion in an 8-4 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State Wednesday afternoon at Larks Park. The Tigers improved to 3-21 overall with the win while the Rangers dropped to 17-13 on the season.

Jerod Goodale Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Olson went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and adding his fourth RBI of the season. Altman belted his first home run of the season, scoring two runs and producing three RBI. Dawson Sramek and Ryan Grasser also earned multi-hit bids on the afternoon.

FHSU starter Jake Taylor tossed 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, seven hits and walking two batters. Taylor also stuck out two Ranger hitters. Ryan Brown (1-0) came on in relief and earned the victory with a scoreless 3.2 innings of work, allowing only one hit and striking out three hitters.

Northwestern Oklahoma State grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning after poking an RBI double and a 2-run blast to left field. The Tigers were able to get a run back in the home half when Marcus McDaniel ripped an RBI single through the right side of the infield, scoring Olson from second base.

The Tigers scored three runs with two outs in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Ryan Grasser started the rally with a  two-out walk. Jared Haynes pushed Grasser to second with a single to left. Altman followed with a two-run double to center field. Altman then scored when Olson placed a ball through the left side of the infield.

NWOSU tied the game 4-4 with a run in the top of the sixth only to see the Tigers answer with two in the bottom of the inning. Altman homered to left field wall for his first home run of the season. Jordan Wilkerson reached on an error which scored Marcus McDaniel who reached on an infield single

The Tigers added two insurance runs in the eighth after Wilkerson earned an RBI single through the left side and Grasser was beaned by pitch with the bases loaded.

FHSU will be back in action this weekend when they take on Lindenwood for the first MIAA series in Hays. The Tigers and Lions will play single games Saturday, Sunday and Monday at Larks Park all starting at 1 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After taking home the individual title at the Rockhurst Invitational, Senior Hannah Perkins has been named MIAA Women’s Golf Co-Athlete of the Week, sharing the award with Missouri Western’s Shi Qing Ong. It is the fifth time in her career that Perkins has earned the honor.

The senior won her third tournament of her career at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan. Perkins fired identical rounds of 78 to finish with a six-stroke margin of victory for a total of 156. It is her fourth top-5 finish of the season and third top-3 finish of her senior campaign. A native of Wichita, Perkins helped the Tigers to a runner-up finish in the event.

WICHITA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team completed the Rockhurst Invitational (March 25-26) with a third-place finish at the par-72, 6,810-yard course at Crestview Country Club in Wichita, Kan. The Tigers shot rounds of 318 and 308 to finish 50-over par (626) for the tournament.

Senior Mac McNish led the Tigers after shooting rounds of 77 and 74 (151) and finishing in a tie for third for the tournament.

Isaiah Grover fired off rounds of 78 and 77 on his way to solo eighth-place individually. Connor Schultz shot rounds of 77 and 79 to finish in a tie for ninth. Jake Weller finished solo 17th with rounds of 88 and 78. Bryce Cowan carded rounds of 86 and 90.

Northwestern Oklahoma State took home the team title with rounds of 313 and 307 for a 44-over par score (620) as a team. Rockhurst (624) finished runner-up for the week, while Fort Hays State finished two strokes behind runner-up with an aggregate score of 626.

The Tigers will be back in action in 11 days when they make their way to Newton, Kan. for the Bethel College Spring Invitational (April 6-7). First round action is held at Hesston Golf Club, while the final round will be played at Sand Creek Station Golf Course.

Due to forecasted weather for the Hays area on Friday and Saturday, the MIAA doubleheaders scheduled for Fort Hays State Softball against Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma have been pushed to Sunday and Monday (Mar. 31 and Apr. 1). The start time of each doubleheader is 1 pm. FHSU faces NSU on Sunday, and then UCO on Monday.

Fort Hays State is 5-3 in MIAA play so far this season and 12-11 overall. Northeastern State is 7-1 so far in MIAA action and enters Sunday’s doubleheader at 19-12 overall. Central Oklahoma enters the weekend 26-2 overall and 8-0 in the MIAA, ranked No. 2 in the nation as of last week. The Bronchos will play at Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday before taking on FHSU in Hays on Monday.