HAYS, Kan. – Coming off a third-straight trip to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals, Fort Hays State head men’s soccer coach Brett Parker has announced his 2017 signing class. The Tigers have signed eight individuals that will join the team for the fall season.

“We had very specific goals with this class,” said Parker. “We feel like we have addressed the holes created by our graduating class. The players coming in should add to our returning group to give us the talent necessary to keep progressing as a team.”

The class includes six freshman and a pair of junior college transfers. Parker added, “This group of incoming players certainly raises our talent level and gives us depth at almost every position for 2017 and beyond.”

Santiago Agudelo | Frisco, Texas • Richland College • 6-2 • 190 • Forward
Santiago Agudelo comes to Hays from Richland College as a junior transfer. The forward scored 31 goals and made 12 assists in just 25 career games for the ThunderDucks. Agudelo previously played for the USSDA FC Dallas Academy. “Santy is one of the best goal scorers in the country and should be a big addition to our attack this fall,” said Parker. “With our losses to graduation, we knew that adding a proven goal scorer was a major priority and Santy is exactly the type of player we wanted to help take our program to the next level.”

Ross Boyd | Topeka, Kan. • Washburn Rural HS • 5-8 • 145 • Midfielder
Ross Boyd joins the Tigers after earning first team all-state honors as a senior at Washburn Rural High School. A four-year letterwinner for the Blues, Boyd also earned first team all-league and all-city honors while named Centennial League Player of the Year in 2016. He picked up all-state second team accolades as a junior. The midfielder was an alternate for the 2016 High School All-America game. He finished his high school career with 28 goals and a school-record 46 assists. “Ross is a player that we’ve wanted at FHSU for a few years and one of the top players in the state of Kansas,” said Parker. “He has the technical ability, athleticism and competitiveness to be a big time player in our program.”

Abdoulaye Cisse | Dallas, Texas • Eastern Florida State • 5-11 • 170 • Forward
Abdoulaye “Yaya” Cisse joins the squad after playing two seasons at Eastern Florida State College, helping the Titans to the 2015 NJCAA national semifinal. The forward netted nine goals and added nine assists in 35 games at EFSC. He has also played club soccer for both FC Dallas and Pride FC. “Yaya is a player that we recruited out of high school and we’re very excited to finally have him at FHSU after playing for a great program and coach at EFSC for the last two years,” said Parker. “He is a very dynamic and versatile attacking player that can play a number of roles. Adding Yaya to our roster is another major step forward for our program.”

Jared Crist | Overland Park, Kan. • Blue Valley Northwest HS • 6-0 • 175 • Defender
Jared Crist comes to FHSU from Blue Valley Northwest High School, earning two letters for the Huskies. The defender competed for the USSDA Sporting Kansas City Academy for two seasons of his high school tenure, also playing for Sporting Blue Valley 99. “Jared has all of the tools to be a big time central defender,” said Parker. “He has great experience from his time with Sporting KC Academy and Sporting Blue Valley. He is already physically ready to compete at the college level and we expect him to come in and compete for playing time as a freshman.”

Antonio De La Torre | Dodge City, Kan. • Dodge City HS • 6-3 • 165 • Forward
Antonio De La Torre joins the three-time Central Region champions after earning three letters at Dodge City High School. He was an all-state selection in 2016, helping the Demons to an undefeated state championship season. “Antonio is a very crafty player with a unique skill set for his height,” said Parker. “He is very good one-on-one, regularly beating defenders in space with his skill and athleticism. He comes from a championship program at DCHS and we feel his best days are ahead of him.”

Caden Frank | Omaha, Neb. • Millard West HS • 6-3 • 190 • Forward
Caden Frank signed with the Tigers after playing at Millard West High School for four seasons. The forward heads into his senior season after earning a pair of honorable mention all-state awards, helping Millard West to the state championship as a sophomore. He won a pair of Nebraska State Cup championships with his club team, Sporting Omaha FC 98 Elite. “Caden is the type of forward we’ve lacked in our program for several years,” said Parker. “At 6’3″, he has the potential to be a physically dominant player at our level. His potential is unlimited and we are looking forward to him developing in our program.”

Benjermin Granillo | Garland, Texas • Lone Star HS • 5-7 • 150 • Defender
Benjermin Granillo joins the Tiger family after playing for two-time USSDA national champion FC Dallas Academy. He made seven starts while playing in 19 games in 2015-16 and has appeared in 12 matches so far this season. “Benji comes from the best youth academy in the country where he has been a member of two national championship teams,” said Parker. “He has a winning mentality and professional approach that will make for a seamless transition to the college game. Benji is a very tenacious and attack-minded defender that will fit into our system very well at FHSU.”

Noah Harris | Broken Arrow, Okla. • Broken Arrow HS • 5-10 • 160 • Midfielder
Noah Harris will play for the Tigers after a four-year career at Broken Arrow High School. He was team captain his senior season, helping the Tigers to a pair of state quarterfinal appearances and one semifinal run. He was also team captain for TSC Porto and coach Christian Porto. “Noah is a player who we became familiar with through our camps here at Fort Hays State,” said Parker. “We are very excited to have him join our program. He is an extremely hard-working individual that has the ability to play several positions at our level. We look forward to seeing him develop in the years to come.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped to 7-14 on the year after falling to Newman by the score of 9-7 on Tuesday at Larks Park. With the victory, the Jets improved to 7-12 on the year. The Tigers will get another crack at the Jets later on in the season as the two teams are playing a home-and-home series this season.

FHSU gave up a run in both the first and second before they cut the Newman lead in half in the bottom of the second inning. Dayton Pomeroy led off the inning for the Tigers with a single then moved to third thanks to a Trevor Hughes double two batters later. Jared Bogosian then plated Pomeroy with a ground out.

The Jets extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth thanks to a homerun from Aaron Mack, but the lead would not last long as the FHSU bats caught fire in the bottom half. Clayton Basgall led off the inning with the first of two triples in the game, scoring on a single off the bat of Jace Bowman. With runners on first and second, Newman booted a ground ball to load the bases, then with two outs Nick Hammeke picked up an RBI thanks to a five-pitch walk. Jake Lanferman made it a four-run inning when he plated two with a single to left.

The Tigers held on to a two-run lead until Newman added runs in the sixth and the seventh, knotting the score at five. FHSU regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI triple from Basgall and a RBI single off the bat of Hughes. Basgall became the first Tiger with two triples in a game since 2008 (Cory Gaudet, PSU, 5/3/08).

The Tiger pitchers struggled down the stretch, allowing four runs in the final inning to hand the lead back to Newman, 9-7. Fort Hays State had the heart of its order coming up in the bottom of the ninth, but Jets pitcher Matt Riney made easy work of the FHSU three-four-five hitters, shutting them down in order to claim the victory.

Eight of the nine Tigers in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with Basgall, Hughes and Bowman all picking up a pair of base knocks. Lanferman was the lone player with multiple RBI, with Basgall coming around to score twice.

Both teams used a slew of pitcher in the game, with a total of 14 individuals taking to the bump. Connor Boyer made the start for FHSU, throwing two innings allowing two runs to go along with a pair of strikeouts and walks. Cole Schumacher and Easton Palmer both tossed scoreless innings, with Schumacher picking up two strikeouts. Clayton Basgall (0-2) took the loss after giving up two runs in the ninth.

The Tigers will jump back into conference play later this week when they host No. 15 Emporia State for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Friday before a 1 p.m. start Saturday and a noon commencement Sunday. You can hear the Saturday and Sunday games on KJLS (103.3-FM).

FHSU Sports Information

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team wrapped up play in a weather-shortened Washburn Invitational this week at Topeka Country Club. The tournament was scheduled for 54 holes, but just 18 were played due to sub-freezing temperatures on Monday and accumulating snow on Tuesday. The Tigers finished with a one-round total of 330, good for 12th place out of the 14 teams in attendance.

The team battled brutal conditions all day, with the temperature hovering around freezing and the wind gusting nearly 40 mph. Jake Weller led the team with a 79 (41-38), finishing in a tie for 26th. Of the 92 golfers participating in the event, the sophomore was one of 33 to break 80. Dalton Ayres fired an 82 to finish in a tie for 43rd.

Newcomer Skyler Tebo, a transfer from UMKC, improved six shots from his first nine to his second nine, posting an 84 (T60, 39-45). Colton Bobek was one shot back of his teammate at 85 (T68, 42-43) with Marshal Hutchins rounding out the scoring with a 93 (T89, 45-48).

Central Missouri took the team title with a 298, with the Mules’ Cole Dillon taking the title with a one-under 70 competing as an individual. The Tigers were four shots back of 10th place Southwest Baptist.

The Tigers will return to the course this weekend (March 18-19) at the Bob Writz Invitational, hosted by Colorado School of Mines at Bear Creek Golf Club in Lakewood, Colo.

FHSU Sports Information

MINOT, N.D. – Fort Hays State senior guard Rob Davis was named to the D2CCA All-Central Region Team on Monday (Mar. 13), earning second team honors. Davis is one of 10 players in the Central Region named to the team. The team is voted on by sports information directors in the Central Region of the NCAA.

Davis had a tremendous year for the Tigers, averaging 21.4 points per game. He became the first FHSU player to average at least 20 points per game since the 1995-96 season, when Alonzo Goldston averaged 20.4 helping lead the Tigers to an undefeated national championship. He is the first player under head coach Mark Johnson to average at least 20 per game. Davis finished the year scoring 30 or more points in a game eight times and 20 or more 17 times. He scored 1,140 points over two years with Fort Hays State, finishing 15th on the all-time scoring list.

Davis scored a career-high 42 points at Emporia State on February 1, 2017, matching the sixth-highest scoring game in Tiger history. Dennis Edwards owns the top five single-game scoring performances in Tiger history and was the last to break the 40-point barrier before Davis, doing it three times in 1995.

Davis finished the year shooting 49.9 percent from the field, making 207-of-415 attempts from the field. He shot 45.3 percent beyond the 3-point line (82-of-181) and 85.1 percent at the free-throw line (126-of-148). He added 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

For his career, Davis ranks fourth all-time in Tiger history for 3-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage. He was very consistent in his rate of shooting from the field, hitting exactly at a .499 clip overall and .453 clip beyond the 3-point line both seasons at FHSU. His performance at the free-throw line this year improved as his career percentage settled at 82.2 percent.

Davis is the first all-region selection for the Tigers since the 2013-14 season when Craig Nicholson earned the distinction as a sophomore.

2016-17 D2 Conference Commissioner’s Men’s Basketball All-Central Region
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Justin Pitts, Northwest Missouri State

FIRST TEAM
Gage Davis, St. Cloud State University
Aaron Lien, Minnesota State University Moorhead
Justin Pitts, Northwest Missouri State University
Braxton Reeves, East Central University
Jordan Spencer, Augustana University

SECOND TEAM
Rob Davis, Fort Hays State University
Derylton Hill, University of Arkansas at Monticello
Tyler Rudolph, Minot State University
Brady Skeens, Washburn University
Anthony Virdure, Lincoln University

FHSU Sports Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Fort Hays State saw two wrestlers claim All-America honors at the NCAA Division II Championships on Saturday. Jon Inman (197) was true to his No. 2 ranking and finished national runner-up at 197 pounds, while No. 10 ranked Brandon Ball (141) finished sixth in the nation. As a team, the Tigers finished 12th.

Final Results

For the second-straight year Inman earned All-America honors, this time at 197 pounds after a fifth-place finish last season at 184 pounds. Inman became the seventh Tiger to reach a national championship match since the program joined the NCAA with a big 4-2 overtime sudden-victory decision over Newberry’s Cody Brundage, ranked third in the nation.

The championship bout was a No. 1 versus No. 2 battle, as Inman took on the nation’s top wrestler at 197 pounds, Jacob Waste from California Baptist. Inman fell behind early giving up a takedown and a four-point near fall in the latter part of the first period. He fought hard, but unfortunately the deficit was too much to come back from and Waste took the match with a 10-2 major decision.

Despite dropping the final match, Inman completed one of the best careers in FHSU history. He finished with an overall record of 141-28 in five years with the Tigers and now holds the best career win percentage at Fort Hays State by winning 83.4 percent of his matches. To add to his two All-America honors, Inman was a four-time national qualifier and has been one of Fort Hays State’s top academic performers and he was a finalist for the MIAA Ken B. Jones Award last year.

After going 2-1 on Friday and sealing All-America status, Ball picked up his 38th win of the season, a 6-5 decision in his first match on Saturday. He dropped the following two matches to No. 2 ranked Nick Crume of Indianapolis by 7-3 decision and Central Oklahoma’s No. 11 ranked Josh Ailey via pin fall in the fifth-place match. With the sixth-place finish, Ball is the first FHSU freshman to earn All-America honors since 2011 when Mitchell Means finished fourth at 149 pounds.

As a team, the Tigers finished 12th overall with 29.5 points, just 3.5 shy of cracking the top ten. Notre Dame (Ohio) took home the team title with 103.5 points, followed by St. Cloud State with 67 points and California Baptist at 56.5 points. The 12th-place finish matched the best for FHSU under head coach Chas Thompson, as his 2010 national qualifiers generated the same placement. It was the 10^th time FHSU finished in the top 15 at nationals in the program’s NCAA Division II history.

Ball and Inman now make 13 All-Americans under coach Thompson and 39 NCAA Division II All-Americans in Fort Hays State history.

FHSU Sports Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Fort Hays State’s Brett Meyer and Dillando Allotey earned All-America honors on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. Meyer finished fifth in the 800 meters, while Allotey finished seventh in the 200 meters.

Meyer ran a time of 1:50.75 in the 800 meters, nearly two seconds faster than his qualifying time in the prelims on Thursday. He was less than a second behind the national champion, Shaquille Dill, who ran a time of 1:49.96. He was just .02 seconds shy of fourth place.

Allotey ran a time of 21.62 in the 200 meters. His time was just .09 seconds slower than his prelim time posted on Friday to reach the finals. Mobolade Ajomale took home the national championship with a time of 21.05 seconds.

With four points generated by Meyer and two by Allotey, Fort Hays State’s six team points tied for 30^th in the men’s standings. Tiffin won the men’s national title as a team with 63 points, while Adams State took home the women’s title with 47 points.

FHSU Sports Information

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Top seeded Northwest Missouri got 17 second chance points as they outrebounded Upper Iowa 45-30 in a 79-74 overtime victory in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional.

The Bearcats led by three points with just 17 seconds to play, but a three pointer as time expired forced the game into overtime.

For the Bearcats Justin Pitts led all scorers finishing with 33 points and dishing out three assists. Anthony Woods scored 16 points while on the glass D’Vante Mosby had 11 rebounds and Chris-Ebou Ndow pulled down 10 boards.

Northwest Missouri will take on Augustana in the regional semifinal Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Vikings knocked off Arkansas-Monticello 76-69 to set up a rematch of last year’s regional final.

MIAA Media Relations

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State’s softball doubleheader with Central Oklahoma on Saturday has been postponed to a later date due to snow falling in Hays. A makeup date will be announced when made available.

FHSU Sports Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Fort Hays State Wrestling had four wrestlers compete at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on Friday. Jon Inman (197) and Brandon Ball (141) secured All-America status by advancing to Saturday, while Greg Tooley (157) and Christian Lance (285) saw their seasons come to an end.

Second-ranked Inman advanced to the semifinals for the second time in his career by going 2-0 on the day. Inman started the day off with a big pin over Kutztown’s Jeff Reimel 1:01 into the second period. He punched his ticket to day two and the semifinals with a 5-3 come-from-behind decision over Newberry’s Cody Brundage. Inman fell behind early in the match with Brundage after allowing an early takedown, but ended up taking full control in the third period to claim the victory. Facing Inman in the semifinals on Saturday will be Ashland’s Luke Cramer, ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Redshirt-freshman and 10th-ranked Ball advanced to day two after going 2-1 to start the championships. Ball won his first match of the day with No. 8 ranked Joseph Alessandro from Seton Hill with a 4-1 decision. In the quarterfinals, he dropped a tough 5-3 decision to No. 3 Darren Wynn of McKendree, falling to the consolation bracket. In his first match on the backside, he dominated with a 17-2 technical fall over No. 12 Pete Cunningham of California Baptist.

Tooley officially went 0-2 on the day, but advanced to the second round of the consolation bracket thanks to a medical forfeit. This season provided a taste of what Tiger wrestling will get from the young Tooley as the redshirt freshman still has three years of wrestling ahead of him. Overall, on the year, Tooley was 26-6, and ended the season as the 8^th-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds.

Lance battled hard and just missed attaining All-America status, but dropped a pair of one-point decisions to end his season with a 1-2 day. Lance dropped his first match of the day to fourth-ranked Donnell Walker of Maryville 3-2 to fall to the consolation round. There he picked up the sudden victory win after earning a two-point takedown in extra time over Findlay’s Mimmo Lytle. Lance then faced off with Austin Goergen, the no. 5 wrestler in the nation out of St. Cloud State. Lance gave Goergen all he could handle but ultimately fell 6-5. Lance turned in a great season for the Tigers and as a redshirt-freshman, leading the team in wins with a 44-10 record.

Inman and Ball begin day two of the championships at 10 am on Saturday. As a team, Fort Hays State is 15th in the standings with 19 points generated so far.

FHSU Sports Information

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team saw a pair of late leads disappear in the final innings of a doubleheader Friday afternoon against Southwest Baptist, losing both games in walk-off fashion. The Tigers move to 7-13 overall and 1-8 in the MIAA while SBU improves to 13-6 this season and 4-5 in the conference following the sweep.

Game One: Southwest Baptist 12, Fort Hays State 11
The Tigers used 14 hits to score 11 runs in the first contest of the day, but the bullpen squandered a 10-4 lead by giving up eight runs in the final four innings. The Bearcats jumped out to an early 2-0 lead behind a pair of unearned runs in the first, but Dayton Pomeoroy started the comeback with a leadoff home run in the top of the second, his team-leading fifth long ball of the season. FHSU tied things up in the third when Ty Redington led off with a single to center. After advancing to third on a failed pickoff, the third baseman scored on a bunt single from Jake Lanferman.

Fort Hays State erupted for six runs in the top of the fourth after a pitch hit Ryan Imber to open the frame. Jared Bogosian laid down a sacrifice bunt, but was safe after the Bearcat throw was late to second. Redington plated Imber with a bunt single two batters later, with Nick Hammeke following with an RBI single to left. Pomeroy picked up his second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly later in the inning before Clayton Basgall loaded the bases with an infield single. Trevor Hughes followed with a pinch-hit double down the right field line, pushing two runs across. Basgall scored the final run after scampering home on a wild pitch.

Marcus Altman reached on a one-out single in the top of the fifth before coming in to score on a double from Redington, putting the Tigers in front 9-2.

The Bearcats started their comeback in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs in the inning before adding three in the sixth, one in the seventh and four in the ninth.

Fort Hays State tacked on another run in the top of the sixth when Pomeroy drew a leadoff walk. After moving to third on a single from Basgall, the junior came in to score on a wild pitch. The Tigers scored their final run in the top of the ninth when Redington reached on a two-out error. Hammeke made the Bearcats pay for their mistake, crushing an RBI double in the next at bat.

The Bearcats took advantage of five walks and an error to score four runs in the bottom of the ninth, winning the game with just one hit in the inning.

Tiger starter Sam Capps kept the Bearcats at bay through five innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on nine hits and three walks. Redington had his second-straight three-hit game, scoring three runs. Hammeke also strung together three hits, driving in two. Basgall finished 2-for-5 with a run.

Game Two: Southwest Baptist 3, Fort Hays State 2
The Tigers dropped another heart-breaker in the nightcap, going down after a walk-off home run handed SBU a 3-2 win. Alex Ruxlow (3-4) took the hard-luck loss after holding the Bearcats scoreless through seven innings. The junior surrendered eight hits in the complete-game loss, striking out one and walking none.

The game remained scoreless until FHSU broke through in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of a leadoff hit by pitch. Jason Nicholson bunted over Trevor Hughes before the catcher came in to score on a single from Marcus Altman.

Altman came through with another clutch hit in the ninth, tying things up at two after the Bearcats took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Hughes once again reached to lead off the inning, this time with a single past the second baseman. Another sacrifice bunt and a groundout moved pinch runner Colton Helm to third with two outs. Altman delivered with a single through the hole at short, driving in Helm. The Bearcat pitching staff loaded the bases with a walk and another hit by pitch, but got out of the jam with a flyout.

Altman was the only Tiger with multiple hits, driving in both Tiger runs. The rest of the team combined to go 0-for-11 with runners on base.

The Tigers will return home for six-straight games at Larks Park starting Tuesday when FHSU hosts Newman in a non-conference matchup at 3 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Fort Hays State sprinter Dillando Allotey qualified for the finals of the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday. By just .02 seconds, Allotey was able to make the cut for the final race on Saturday at 4:30 pm.

Allotey ran a time of 21.53 seconds on Friday to edge his way into the finals finishing eighth in the prelims. He knocked out Kenneth Jackson of Texas A&M-Kingsville by just .02 seconds. Academy of Art’s Mobolade Ajomale had the top time of the day in 21.09 seconds. Ajomale came into nationals with the nation’s top time.

Allotey’s performance makes Fort Hays State 2-for-2 in qualifying for the finals from prelim races. On Thursday, Brett Meyer qualified for the finals in the 800 meters. Watch both compete in the finals on Saturday, with Meyer racing at 4:10 pm and Allotey racing at 4:30 pm. Click on the watch live link on the Men’s Track and Field schedule to locate the stream.

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball had a great start to MIAA play on Friday when it swept a doubleheader at home against Northeastern State. The Tigers improved to 8-12 overall, 2-0 in the MIAA, with wins by scores of 10-2 and 6-4. NSU dropped to 9-12 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 10, Northeastern State 2
Northeastern State briefly held a 1-0 lead after a half inning, but Fort Hays State took control the rest of the way and won by run rule in the sixth inning. Bailey Boxberger started the offensive onslaught for the Tigers by hitting a missile through the teeth of a chilly wind for a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to put the Tigers up 2-1.

A dropped fly ball off the bat of Kylie Strand in the second started another two-run rally. Jeni Mohr knocked Strand in on an RBI single and then Lily Sale had an RBI double to make it 4-1.

The RiverHawks benefitted from two Tiger errors in the fourth to cut the lead in half at 4-2, but the Tigers pulled away with three runs in both the fifth and sixth inning to invoke the run rule. In the fifth, Candace Bollig had an RBI double and Mohr had another RBI single. The Tigers also scored a run on a bobble by the shortstop on a ball put in play by Strand. With the bases loaded in the sixth, Bollig walked to get a run home, Tess Gray knocked in a run with a single, and Strand ended the game with a fielder’s choice hit out to the shortstop that scored another run from third.

After allowing a run and three hits in the first, Carrie Clarke settled in for the remainder of the game to improve to 3-2 on the season. She allowed just three hits over her final five innings of work and allowed just one earned run overall. Mollie Carter of NSU fell to 1-1 on the season allowing seven runs (three earned) on nine hits over 5.0 innings of work.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 6, Northeastern State 4
Both teams struggled to find many hits through the first three innings, but the Tigers broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the fourth and four in the fifth to build a 6-1 lead. NSU scored three runs in the seventh, but FHSU held on 6-4 for the doubleheader sweep.

Like game one, the Tigers fell behind 1-0 before tying up the game in the third on an awkward defensive play. Bailey Kennedy stole second base, but the catcher’s throw was low and dug out by the shortstop. But Kennedy collided with the fielder trying to block the base and in the midst of the collision, Jeni Mohr took home on the catcher’s choice to throw down to second.

In the fourth, Tess Gray provided a line-shot solo home run over the left field wall to push the Tigers in front 2-1. Mohr led off the fifth with a single and then a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Kennedy had the Tigers in business with runners at the corners. Sale came up with a bunt single that scored Mohr, then Veronica Knittig smacked an RBI double down the right field line to make it 4-1. Bailey Boxberger and Candace Bollig provided back-to-back sacrifice flies to push the lead to 6-1.

The RiverHawks did not go quietly as they strung together two singles, a double, and a triple in the seventh to cut the lead down to two, but a groundout and flyout ended the game.

Hailey Chapman went the distance for the Tigers in the circle, allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks with seven strikeouts. She is now 5-7 on the season. Jennifer Wolf fell to 1-4 on the season for NSU, allowing six runs (three earned) in 5.1 innings of work.

The Tigers return to the diamond on Saturday (Mar. 11) when they host No. 9 ranked Central Oklahoma in another conference doubleheader.

WICHITA, Kan. – Fort Hays State earned a doubleheader split with Newman University on Tuesday. After falling 8-7 in eight innings in the first game, the Tigers picked up their first true road win of the season with a 10-1 run-rule win in game two. FHSU is now 6-12 overall, while Newman moved to 4-19 overall.

Game 1: Newman 8, Fort Hays State 7
Newman seems to have a thing about walk-offs in Wichita against FHSU in recent years and did it again in the first game of the doubleheader. The Jets won 8-7 in eight innings on a single that scored a run from second. It was the fourth walk-off win for Newman in the last five games played between the teams in Wichita after accomplishing the feat twice last year and once in 2014.

The Tigers nearly vaulted into the lead, producing a three-run top of the seventh to get the game tied at 7-7. Bailey Boxberger got the scoring started in the seventh with an RBI single. Then Kylie Strand, who enjoyed a big day altogether at the plate, tied the game with a one-out 2-RBI double. Unfortunately, three batters later she was thrown out trying to score on a single by Bailey Kennedy that kept the game tied.

With one runner on and two outs, Newman found a way to produce back-to-back singles and plate the winning run in the eighth.

It was another frustrating loss after the Tigers took an early 3-0 lead in the first thanks to RBI from Veronica Knittig, Candace Bollig and Tess Gray. But starting pitcher Hailey Chapman ran into trouble in the middle innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits over the third and fourth innings. A run scored on a wild pitch for the Tigers in the sixth brought them within three before getting the game tied in the seventh.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 10, Newman 1
Kylie Strand’s 2-RBI double in the seventh-inning rally of game one was just the start of her big run-producing day at the plate. Strand, Tess Gray, and Bailey Boxberger did the majority of the run-producing damage in a six-inning run-rule win for FHSU in game two.

Strand bopped a pair of two-run home runs in the game, capping a 4-for-5 day at the plate with six RBI total in the doubleheader, with four in game two. Gray, who finished the doubleheader with four RBI, produced three on a bases-clearing double in the six-run Tiger sixth. Strand followed that knock with her second homer of the game. Boxberger was key as well with two RBI in the game, helping the Tigers to an early 2-0 lead in the first with a sacrifice fly, and then an RBI single that started the rally in the sixth. Candace Bollig had the other RBI in the game with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning.

Amid the game two fireworks at the plate, Carrie Clarke settled in for a complete game win in the pitching circle. She allowed six hits and four walks with two strikeouts. Clarke allowed the only run in the second and used a bases-loaded.

FHSU Sports Information