MIAA Media Relations

Kansas City, Mo. – Emporia State swept Lincoln to earn the MIAA regular season championship and earn the top seed in the MIAA Softball Tournament. The Hornets will face Northeastern State in the opening round as the RiverHawks earn the eighth.

Central Oklahoma earns the second seed in the MIAA Tournament will face Lindenwood who will be the seventh seed. Missouri Western has claimed the third seed and will face sixth seeded Northwest Missouri in the opening round. The fourth seed was earned by Fort Hays State who will take on fifth seeded Central Missouri.

Games are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 1 from the Blue Valley Recreation Complex in Overland Park, Kan.

May 1, 2014 (Blue Valley Recreation Complex)
Game 1    #1 Emporia State vs. #8 Northeastern State                        6 p.m.
Game 2    #4 Fort Hays State vs. #5 Central Missouri                          6 p.m.
Game 3    #3 Missouri Western vs. #6 Northwest Missouri                   6 p.m.
Game 4    #2 Central Oklahoma vs. #7 Lindenwood                             6 p.m.
Game 5    Loser GM 1 vs. Loser GM 2                                                  8 p.m.
Game 6    Loser GM 3 vs. Loser GM 4                                                   8 p.m.
Game 7    Winner GM 1 vs. Winner GM 2                                              8 p.m.
Game 8    Winner GM 4 vs. Winner GM 5                                              8 p.m.

May 2, 2014 (Blue Valley Recreation Complex)
Game 9    Winner GM 6 vs. Loser GM 7                                              11 a.m.
Game 10  Winner GM 5 vs. Loser GM 8                                              11 a.m.
Game 11  Winner GM 10 vs. Winner GM 9                                           1 p.m.
Game 12  Winner GM 7 vs. Winner GM 8                                             3 p.m.
Game 13  Winner GM 11 vs. Loser GM 12                                            5 p.m.

May 3, 2014 (Blue Valley Recreation Complex)
Game 14   Winner GM 12 vs. Winner GM 13                                       12 p.m.
Game 15   Winner GM 14 vs. Loser GM 14                                           2 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State Softball closed out the home portion of its regular season with a sweep of MIAA opponent Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday. The Tigers pulled off two comeback victories, winning Game 1, 12-4, in five innings before a four-run sixth inning secured a Game 2 win, 6-4.

FHSU (28-17, 17-9 MIAA) has now won six of its last seven, securing the fourth seed in the MIAA tournament and setting up a first round matchup next Thursday against fifth-seeded Central Missouri in Overland Park, Kan.  UNK dropped to 12-28 (9-17 MIAA) with the doubleheader loss.

The Tigers travel north to Kearney, Neb., on Sunday for a non-conference doubleheader against the Lopers to close out the regular season.  The doubleheader is set to begin at Noon.

Game 1: FHSU 12, UNK 4 (5 innings)
Down 3-0 after the first, FHSU tied the game in the second before a four-run fourth and a five-run fifth inning to run-rule the Lopers, 12-4.

Jordan Jones (1-0) claimed her first win of the season on Senior Day, tossing the final two innings in shutout fashion, allowing just two hits to shut down the Lopers. Paxton Duran started the game, tossing into the fourth inning and allowing four runs (just two earned) on five hits, striking out two.

Offensively, Biance Adame put together an impressive senior day performance, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and seven RBI – tying the school’s single-game record. Amanda Vaupel was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Kellsi Olsen was 2-for-3 and Courtney Dobson (1-for-2) had two walks and two RBI.

After allowing three in the top of the first, FHSU answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the second.  With two outs, Vaupel singled to left center before taking second on Callie Wright’s walk.  The bases were loaded as Olsen reached on an error and Adame emptied the bases with a double to left center.

The Lopers struck again in the fourth, taking the lead with a RBI single from Erin Dwyer, but it was short lived as Fort Hays State took over for good in its half of the fourth.

Duran led off the bottom half with a single up the middle, followed by Vaupel’s bunt single and Wright’s sacrifice bunt, putting runners on second and third with one out.  Olsen’s first hit of the game followed as she singled through the left side and took second as the throw to the plate was late, scoring Duran and pushing Vaupel to third.  Adame’s single up the middle plated Vaupel and Olsen, and as a throw from the centerfielder came in errant, Adame moved up to second.

After a pitching change, Dobson drew a walk and Brinkmann singled through the left side, scoring Adame and putting the Tigers ahead, 7-4.

Looking to extend their lead in the fifth, a one-out burst of offense ended in five runs on five hits to put the game away early.  With one out, Vaupel singled to right center for her third hit of the game, followed by a fielder’s choice from Wright that landed both runners safely as a throwing error was wide of the bag at second base.

Olsen’s single to left loaded the bases, and after Madison Putman pinch ran for Wright on second, Adame took a 2-1 pitch into left center for her second double of the game, scoring Vaupel and Putman and pushing Olsen to third.  In the next at-bat, Dobson singled home Olsen and Adame, giving FHSU a seven-run lead with just one out in the fifth.

After Brinkmann walked, Samantha Villareal’s single up the middle allowed Adame to scamper home and end the game in walk-off fashion, 12-4.

Game 2: FHSU 6, UNK 4
After finding themselves down again early, the Tigers rallied late for a 6-4 victory in Game 2 to complete the sweep.

Katelyn Kern started the game, tossing 1.2 innings with just two hits allowed and a strikeout, but was tagged for four unearned runs before exiting in the second. Kelsey Kimminau (10-7) entered and threw the final 5.1 innings for the victory, giving up just one hit and striking out two Lopers.

At the plate, Kylie Strand was 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Amanda Vaupel went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Danie Brinkmann’s two walks moved her into first all-time in Fort Hays State history for career walks, giving her 77 free passes in her three seasons at FHSU.  Brinkmann (1-for-2), Callie Wright (2-for-2) and Tori Beltz (1-for-3) each had doubles in the game.

UNK jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second, taking advantage of three hits and a Tiger error to score four unanswered.  That score remained until the bottom of the fourth, when FHSU broke out of its shell score two runs on four hits – though they would leave the bases loaded twice in the fourth and fifth.

Strand led off the fourth with an infield single off the pitcher, and took second on Wright’s sacrifice bunt.  Vaupel pushed Strand to third with a single to centerfield before Samantha Villarreal’s pinch hit single to left scored Strand.

Kellsi Olsen reached on an error by UNK’s third baseman, loading the bases as Vaupel slid underneath the tag at third. Biance Adame followed with a sacrifice fly to right, deep enough for Vaupel to dash home and cut the lead in half, 4-2.

Fort Hays State rallied in the sixth with four runs on five hits for the comeback win, starting the offensive burst with a one out single from Courtney Dobson, followed by Brinkmann’s double to right.  After Madison Putman pinch ran for Brinkmann, Beltz drove a 3-2 pitch off the right field wall for an RBI double, scoring Dobson and moving Putman to third, once again cutting the lead in half (4-3).

In the next at-bat, Strand worked a 1-1 count before taking a pitch the opposite way to right to score Putman and Rilee Krier (who pinch ran for Beltz), before Strand took third on an error by the right fielder.  Strand moved to third on an illegal pitch, and later in the inning came home on Vaupel’s single up the middle to put FHSU ahead, 6-4.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Missouri Western scored five runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 7-4 victory over the Fort Hays State Tigers in game two of their doubleheader Saturday at the Spring Sports Center in St. Joseph to complete the four-game series sweep. The Griffons scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to win the opener 1-0.

The Tigers end their season by losing their final five games and finish the year 17-29 and 14-26 in the MIAA. The Griffons have won 13 of their last 17 and improve to 28-14 and 24-14 in conference play.

The Tigers led 4-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh thanks to a three-run second which saw RBI singles from Horace Johnson, Kevin Czarnecki and Cooper Langley.

Starter Gus Strunk pitched well until the seventh when he loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and a hit batter. Gabe Cook came in to relieve and after a strikeout of leadoff hitter Trevor LaHonta, gave up a two-run single to Dylan Koch. Cook struck out Ryan Denger then walked David Chew. Jake Schrader followed with a two-run single to put the Griffons up 7-4.

Strunk took the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits over six innings.

The Tigers waste a great pitching performance from Steven Federau in the first game. Federau pitched a shutout through the first six innings. He didn’t allow a baserunner past first until the seventh when Trevor LaHonta singled then moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. He scored the games only run on Ryan Degner’s one-out single to center. Federau allowed just four hits while striking out four and walking one.

Missouri Western’s Jake Jones was equally as impressive, holding the Tigers to two hits before leaving with two outs in the sixth with the bases loaded. Fort Hays State used a walk, bunt single and fielders choice to load the bases with no outs. The Griffons got a force out at home on Jordan Miller’s grounder to third.  After Gus Strunk struck out for the second out, Clayton Garland lined out to first to end the Tiger only scoring threat of the game.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Fort Hays State’s postseason hopes came to an end Friday as the Tigers were swept in a doubleheader at Missouri Western. The Griffons won 12-3 and 9-1 ending the Tigers chances at grabbing the eighth spot into next week’s MIAA tournament first-round. The Tigers are now 17-27 overall and 14-24 in the MIAA. They close out the season in a 1pm doubleheader in St. Joseph Saturday.

Steve Johnson Postgame Interview

The Griffons struck early in the first game, building a 10-0 lead after three innings. The Tigers scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth but MWSU answered with two in the bottom of the fifth for the final score. Jordan Miller had two hits and Kevin Czarnecki and Copper Langley both drove in a run.

Tyler Patty (2-6) lasted just 1.1 innings, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and takes the loss.

The Griffons took advantage of a couple of Tiger throwing errors to score three unearned runs in the third and three more in the fourth in game two. They led 9-0 before Kevin Czarnecki’s leadoff homer in the ninth.

Starter Austin Unrein (3-3) gave up nine runs, three earned, on seven hits over 5.1 innings and takes the loss. Czarnecki and Casey Sedbrook both had two hits.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior Trey Herman earned All-MIAA honors for the 2013-14 season, helping Fort Hays State to a 10th-place finish at the MIAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan. The tournament was held on the Championship Course at Alvamar Golf Club, a par-72 layout.

Herman, who led the MIAA Individual Point Standings entering the

MIAA Championships, was overtaken by Central Missouri’s Travis Mays for MIAA Golfer of the Year. Mays entered the tournament five points back of Herman, but leaped in front by tying for second at the MIAA Championships, generating 13.5 points to his total to finish with 43.5 for the year. Herman tied for 15th, gaining just 0.33 points and finishing the year at 35.33, good for second in the point standings.

By finishing second in the overall point standings for the year, Herman earned All-MIAA honors, the first for a Tiger since Kevin Quinley earned the honors in 2011 by finishing eighth in the point standings. Herman is the highest-ever finisher for FHSU in the point standings race.

Herman shot 9-over par for the three-round tournament with rounds of 76, 74, and 75. He had a rough start to his final day, 3-over par through his first two holes, but played the remaining 16 in even par. It was not enough to reel in the red-hot Mays, who started the day at 1-under par overall and came back to the field just a bit with a 2-over 74 on the final day.

To compare the two golfers in the MIAA sanctioned events for the year, Herman tied for second at Nebraska-Kearney, tied for third at Central Missouri in the fall, then finished eighth at Central Oklahoma and a tie for 15th at the MIAA Championships in the spring. Mays tied for seventh at Nebraska-Kearney, tied for ninth at Central Missouri, finished seventh at Central Oklahoma, and then tied for second at the MIAA Championships. Though neither won a MIAA sanctioned tournament this year, they were the steadiest players in the conference.

Central Missouri, the No. 5 ranked team in NCAA Division II, won the MIAA Championship Tournament with a three-round score of 867 and in the process sealed first place in the regular season team standings as well with 56 points. Northeastern State finished second in the tournament (883) and in the regular season standings (49 points), and Central Oklahoma finished third in both as well (902 and 43 points). FHSU finished 10^th at the tournament (938) and was eighth in the team standings with 28.5 points.

Grant Storey tied for 31st at the tournament with rounds of 75, 80 and 77 for a total of 232. Jeff Heptig was eight strokes back of that in a tie for 47th, shooting rounds of 80, 85, and 75. Nick VonLintel tied for 49th with rounds of 78, 80, and 83. Sam Christianson was 58th with rounds of 83, 85, and 83.

Herman will now wait to see if he is selected to compete at regionals as an individual. Selections are made on Friday, April 25 for the regional.

Men’s All-MIAA Team 
Travis Mays, Central Missouri (43.5), Golfer of the Year
Trey Herman, Fort Hays State (35.33)
Michael Colgate, Nebraska-Kearney (28)
Cy Moritz, Central Missouri (26.75)
Ryan Dyck, Lindenwood (26.5), Freshman of the Year
Brad Hager, Northeastern State (24.5)
Lance Lawson, Nebraska-Kearney (23)
Teddy Jones, Central Missouri (22.5)
Brian Lilevold, Lincoln (21)
Jake Smock, Lindenwood (17.5)
Eric Kline, Central Oklahoma (17)
Max Lazzo, Washburn (15)
Clayton Moles, Southwest Baptist (14.25)
Sam Migdal, Central Missouri (14)
Robby Hughey, Central Missouri (12.75)

Men’s Final Team Standings (through 4 events) 
1.    Central Missouri (56)
2.    Northeastern State (49)
3.    Central Oklahoma (43)
4.    Lindenwood (41)
5.    Nebraska-Kearney (39)
6.    Washburn (33)
7.    Lincoln (31)
8.    Fort Hays State (28.5)
9.    Missouri Western (28)
10.    Missouri Southern (25.5)
11.    Pittsburg State (9)
12.    Southwest Baptist (7)

Tiger women finish eighth
The Fort Hays State women’s golf team closed out the 2013-14 season by placing eighth at the MIAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan.  The tournament was held at the Alvamar Golf Club on the Member’s Course.

Samantha Hobson led Fort Hays State in the final event of the year by finishing in 26th individually. She shot rounds of 96, 88, and 89 for a 273 total. Quillen Eichhorn finished 35th in her hometown, shooting rounds of 99, 95, and 92. Kaycee Beilman tied for 36th with rounds of 96, 96, and 100. Megan DeWerff tied for 39th with rounds of 101, 99, and 100. Natalie Bethel, who withdrew from the second round, shot rounds of 102 on both the first and third days of competition.

Fort Hays State shot 1151 as a team over three rounds. Central Oklahoma won the tournament by 15 strokes, shooting 958. Northeastern State was second with 973. Northwest Missouri State finished third with 1047. Baylee Price of Northeastern State won the tournament with a total of 233.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State softball remained eighth in the second version of the NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, released Wednesday. The Tigers debuted at No. 8 in last week’s poll, and one other version will be released leading up to the NCAA Division II Softball Selection Show, set for March 5 at 10 a.m. ET.  The eight teams selected will advance to the NCAA Regional, set for May 9-11.

Complete Region Rankings

The Central Region is made up of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the Great American Conference, with three automatic bids being given to winners of the conference tournaments.  The other five slots in the NCAA Regional are awarded on an at-large basis, with the top two seeds serving as tournament hosts.  The winner of each regional site will advance to the NCAA Super Regional, May 16-17.  The NCAA Championships will take place May 22-26 in Salem, Va.

Emporia State, previously second, moved up to No. 1 in the regional rankings with a 29-10 Division II record and a 38-10 In-Region record.  ESU swept the Tigers at home in a mid-March doubleheader, and is currently tied for first in the MIAA standings with Central Oklahoma.  ESU went 3-1 in MIAA last week, sweeping Central Missouri and splitting with Southwest Baptist at home.

Winona State (32-6 DII, 22-6 In-Region) jumped three spots to second in the rankings after going 8-0 last week with sweeps of Minnesota State (previously No. 1 regionally) and Wayne State (previously No. 9 regionally).  The Tigers were scheduled to play Winona State at the Teri Mathis Tournament earlier this season, which was canceled due to wintry weather.

Minnesota State-Mankato dropped three spots to No. 3 in the second version of the rankings, losing two games to Winona State but picking up sweeps over Wayne State, Augustana and Sioux Falls.  MSU-Mankato holds a 36-8 Division II record and a 31-6 In-Region record.  FHSU defeated MSU-Mankato, 11-3, earlier this season in Bentonville, Ark.

Augustana (35-10 DII, 29-10 In-Region) and Central Oklahoma (36-12 DII and In-Region) each slid one spot to fourth and fifth, respectively, from last week’s rankings.  FHSU split with UCO earlier this season in Edmond, Okla., snapping the Bronchos’ 35-game home winning streak with a 4-1 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

Missouri Western (31-15 DII and In-Region) and Southeastern Oklahoma (32-14 DII and In-Region) flipped spots for the week.  MWSU moved from seventh to No. 6 while Southeastern slipped to No. 7 as one of three teams from the GAC in the rankings.  MWSU took both games from the Tigers earlier this month and were idle last week.

Staying at eighth, FHSU (26-17 DII, 24-16 In-Region) did not play last week but closes out its regular season with home and away doubleheaders against Nebraska-Kearney, April 26-27, respectively.  Senior Day for the Tigers is Saturday (April 26) with games at 2 and 4 p.m.

Two squads from the GAC close out the rankings as Southern Arkansas (28-22 DII, 25-20 In-Region) jumped into the ninth spot and East Central (29-22 DII and In-Region) remained 10th.  Southern Arkansas went 3-1 last week against Southern Nazarene, and has picked up eight wins this season against teams that are ranked regionally throughout the nation.  East Central swept Rogers State and split with Northwestern Oklahoma State in doubleheaders last week.

Below are the complete Central Region Rankings for April 23…

Rank	Team	DII	In-Region
1.	Emporia State	39-10	38-10
2.	Winona State	32-6	22-6
3.	Minnesota State-Mankato	36-8	31-6
4.	Augustana (S.D.)	35-10	29-10
5.	Central Oklahoma	36-12	36-12
6.	Missouri Western State	31-15	31-15
7.	Southeastern Oklahoma	32-14	32-14
8.	Fort Hays State	26-17	24-16
9.	Southern Arkansas	28-22	25-20
10.	East Central	29-22	29-22

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State women’s golf maintained its eighth-place position after the second round at the MIAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan. The Tigers improved by 14 strokes as a team on Tuesday, shooting 378 after a 392 on the first day. The nine teams from the MIAA are competing on the Member’s Course at Alvamar Golf Club.

Samantha Hobson improved by eight strokes on the second day, shooting 88 after a first-round 96. Quillen Eichorn also improved, shooting 95 on the second day after 99 the first. Kaycee Beilman matched her first-round total of 96 and Megan DeWerff improved two strokes with a 99 following a 101. Natalie Bethel withdrew from competition in the second round and did not record a score after an opening round 102.

Fort Hays State has a two-round total of 770. Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State have ran away at the top of the standings, UCO currently at 641 and NSU currently at 653. Northwest Missouri State is 46 strokes back of Northeastern State.

Tiger men drop a spot to 10th
Fort Hays State men’s golf sits in 10th place heading into the final round of the MIAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan. The Tigers were tied for eighth after the first round, but slipped to 10th after the second round of competition on the Championship Course at Alvamar Golf Club.

The Tigers carded the highest team score of the 12 teams competing on Tuesday, 10 strokes more than they shot on Monday. FHSU had a team score of 319, compared to a 309 in the first round.

Trey Herman, currently leading the point standings race for MIAA Player of the Year, will need a solid round on Wednesday in hopes that he can hold on to the lead in the standings. He has one major threat to the top position, Travis Mays of Central Missouri, who sits in a tie for third at 1-under par overall. Herman is currently in a tie for 18th at 6-over par, seven strokes back of Mays. The top 15 finishers get points towards their standing total and Mays is currently in position to leap Herman in the standings as the leaderboard sits after two rounds. Herman has shot rounds of 76 (4-over) and 74 (2-over) so far in the tournament, while Mays has shot 71 (1-under) and 72 (even).All other Tiger golfers were in the 80s on Tuesday, starting with Grabt Storey who shot 80 after a first round 75. Nick VonLintel also shot 80 after a first round 78. Jeff Heptig and Sam Christianason each shot 85 on Tuesday.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State women’s and men’s golf are competing at the MIAA Championships in Lawrence, Kan., April 21-23 at the Alvamar Golf Club. The Tiger women are eighth and the men are ninth after the first of three rounds of competition.

In men’s action, the Tigers are tied for ninth with Missouri Southern, each team shooting 309 on the first day. That is 26 strokes off the pace of 283, shot by Central Missouri. There are 12 teams competing on the men’s side.

Grant Storey had the top round for the Tigers on day one with a 3-over par 75. Trey Herman was right behind with a 4-over 76. Nick VonLintel shot 78, Jeff Heptig carded 80, and Sam Christianson shot 83. Cy Moritz of Central Missouri leads the tournament after a 4-under par 68 to open.

In women’s action, FHSU is eighth out of the nine teams competing. Samantha Hobson and Kaycee Beilman led the way for FHSU each with rounds of 96. Quillen Eichhorn shot 99. Megan DeWerff shot 101 and Natalie Bethel shot 102.

FHSU shot 392 as a team, 72 strokes off the pace of 320 set by Central Oklahoma. Taylor Niedy of Central Oklahoma leads the way individually after a 76.

The teams compete in the second round on Tuesday.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State earned a split with Lindenwood on Saturday in the final two games of a four-game MIAA series at Larks Park in Hays. FHSU won game one 7-6 before falling in game two 14-0. The Tigers won three out of four in the series, posting their first series win in MIAA play this year. FHSU moved to 17-25 overall and 14-22 in the MIAA, while Lindenwood moved to 17-25 overall and 13-19 in the MIAA.

Steve Johnson Postgame Interview

Game 1: Fort Hays State 7, Lindenwood 6
Lindenwood broke a 3-3 tie with three runs in the fifth, but Fort Hays State responded with four in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-6 lead and relievers Nick Hammeke and Gave Cook shut the door the rest of the way.

The Lions took a 2-0 lead with three straight two-out hits in the first, the last a double that plated two runs off FHSU starter Austin Unrein. The Tigers immediately got the runs back in the bottom of the second as Lindenwood starter Dylan Terrell struggled with his control. The Tigers loaded the bases and then Kevin Czarnecki and Gabe Cook knocked in a run each with singles to make it 2-2.

Fort Hays State took the lead 3-2 in the second on a Jordan Miller RBI single, benefitting from a Lion error earlier in the inning. The Lions tied the game up again with a single run in the fourth on a two-out RBI single.

A walk and four hits in the fifth for Lindenwood produced three runs, going on top 6-3. All of the runs were charged to Unrein, who was relieved by Hammeke with two outs in the inning. Unrein allowed 10 hits, walked two, and struck out three in 4.2 innings.

FHSU had a big inning in the fifth to take the lead back at 7-6, thanks to two Lions miscues. Both errors were on fielder’s choice plays, where the first baseman threw wide of the second base bag on two consecutive batters. The second time, off the bat of Clayton Garland allowed two runs to score. Czarnecki would tie the game with a RBI double and Cooper Langley knocked him in with a single to put the Tigers in front.

Hammeke worked a 1-2-3 sixth and then turned the ball over to Cook to close in the seventh. Cook allowed a single with one out and the runner stole second, but an infield pop out and a ground out to second base sealed the win for FHSU. Hammeke moved to 3-0 on the year, allowing just one hit in 1.1 innings of work with a strikeout. Cook picked up his fourth save of the season.

Game 2: Lindenwood 14, Fort Hays State 0
Starting pitchers Joe Mapes (FHSU) and Zac Pearman (LWU) breezed through two innings before Mapes started to run into trouble in the third. The Lions broke through for one run in the third and then tagged Mapes for four runs in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.

The Tigers had several well hit balls against Pearman throughout the game, but could never find a way to push runs across. Pearman would wind up going the distance for the Lions to pick up his third win of the season.

Gus Strunk relieved Mapes in the fourth. Mapes was charged with five runs (four earned) on seven hits, while striking out two. Strunk allowed two runs in the fifth, making it 7-0, and then ran into trouble again in the eighth, an inning that saw the Lions score seven runs and take a commanding 14-0 lead. Strunk went 3.2 innings in relief, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Nathan Briar could not record an out in the eighth and allowed three runs, Ty Thomas got one out and allowed one run, and Drew Martineau got the final out.

The Tigers got two aboard in the eighth, but could not score, falling 14-0 in the finale cut an inning short by run rule. Mapes took the loss, going to 2-5 on the year. Pearman allowed nine hits and struck out three in his complete game for Lindenwood.

Fort Hays State got more help from Emporia State on Saturday as the Hornets completed a four-game sweep of Northwest Missouri State. That leaves the Tigers still mathematically alive for the conference tournament heading into the final week of regular season play.

FHSU is 3.0 games back of eighth-place Northeastern State, 2.5 games back of Northwest Missouri State, 2.0 games back of Missouri Southern, and 1.0 games back of Lindenwood. Fort Hays State has to win at least three games, if not all four at Missouri Western next weekend to have a shot at the eighth and final spot in the MIAA Tournament, but it will need help from all the opponents of the teams mentioned above coupled with the wins.

FHSU Sports Information

Tyler Patty and Steven Federay turned in strong pitching performances to help Fort Hays State to a doubleheader sweep of Lindenwood on Friday afternoon at Larks Park in Hays. Fort Hays State won game one 7-3, with a near complete-game effort from Patty, and then won game two 6-1. FHSU moved to 16-24 overall and 13-21 in the MIAA, while Lindenwood moved to 15-26 overall and 12-18 in the MIAA.

Steve Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Game 1: Fort Hays State 7, Lindenwood 3
Fort Hays State built a 5-0 lead through three innings and never looked back in a 7-3 win in game one. Tyler Patty was just one out short of a complete-game effort in the seven-inning contest. After surrendering two runs in the seventh, Gabe Cook relieved Patty to get the final out of the game with one runner on. Patty allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks, while striking out three, moving to 2-5 overall on the year with the win.

Horace Johnson got the scoring triggered for the Tigers in the first with a two-RBI double. Cooper Langley followed with a RBI single later in the inning. Gus Strunk tacked on a RBI single in the second and Kevin Czarnecki knocked in a run with a sacrifice bunt in the third.

After allowing a bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth, Patty beared down to get a ground ball out from the next batter to keep the Tigers on top 5-1 heading to the bottom half. The Tigers added two insurance runs in the sixth on an Austin Unrein RBI single, with the second run scoring on an error on the play.

Clayton Garland, Kodie Fewin, Strunk and Johnson went 2-for-3 at the plate in the game.

Austin Klein of Lindenwood took the loss, allowing all seven runs (five earned) in his 5.2 innings of work.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 6, Lindenwood 1
Just like game one, Fort Hays State built a 5-0 lead before Lindenwood pushed across its first run in the sixth inning. The Tigers answered that run in the bottom of the sixth with one of their own and then both teams went scoreless the rest of the way in the nine-inning contest.

Steven Federau provided the Tigers 5.2 innings of quality work on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Nathan Briar entered in the sixth with two outs and runners at first and third. He got the final out on a fielder’s choice to end any further damage by the Lions, leaving FHSU in front 5-1. Briar went the rest of the way for FHSU, picking up his third save of the season. He allowed just two hits and struck out one in 3.1 innings of work. Federau moved to 2-6 for the season with the win.

The middle of the Tiger order knocked in all six runs for FHSU. Kevin Czarnecki got the Tigers on the board in the third with a RBI on a fielder’s choice. He would knock in another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly. Horace Johnson had the big blow for FHSU in the fourth with a three-RBI double to the right center gap, following a RBI by Clayton Garland who was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Johnson finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate, as did Gus Strunk who scored three times in the game.

Will Spitzfaden took the loss for Lindenwood, going 4.1 innings in his start. He allowed five runs on 10 hits with a walk and six strikeouts.

The Tigers and Lions play the final two games of the series on Saturday, starting at 1 pm. Saturday will be Senior Day at Larks Park in Hays, the final two games at home this year.

FHSU did get help on Friday in the MIAA standings as Emporia State swept Northwest Missouri State in a doubleheader. The Tigers jumped from 5 1/2 games back of eighth-place NWMSU to 3 1/2 games back. Both ESU and NWMSU play the final two games of that series on Saturday.