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

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Trey O’Neil hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds to play the Hadley Gillum blocked a shot causing a wild scramble for the loose ball as time expired and Fort Hays State held off Central Oklahoma 57-55 in front of 3,781 at Gross Coliseum. It’s the Tigers (16-10, 9-8 MIAA) second straight win that has them tied with Nebraska-Kearney and Lincoln for seventh place in the MIAA.

The Bronchos (17-9, 10-7 MIAA), who have never won at Gross Coliseum, sit alone in fifth place.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Brady Werth Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers raced out to an early nine point lead only to see the UCO answer with a 13-1 run to take a three point lead midway through the first half.

After the Tigers built a nine point lead early in the second half, the Bronchos answered with a 15-4 run to take a 39-37 lead with 11:31 to play. The game then saw five ties and eight lead changes the rest of the way.

Hadley Gillum led the Tigers with 17 points and eight rebounds. Brady Werth added 14 points and eight boards. Kyler Kinnamon didn’t score but tied a career high with eight assists.

Jake Hammond, Jordan Hemphill and Josh Holiday all scored nine to lead the Bronchos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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