HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped the first game of a three-game weekend series on Friday to 15th-ranked Emporia State by a score of 15-1. The run-rule ended the game after the eighth inning. ESU improved to 17-4 overall, 6-1 in the MIAA, while FHSU went to 7-15 overall, 1-9 in the MIAA.

Tiger starting pitcher Ben Ramberg fought control issues throughout the game and managed to escape the first two innings unharmed after walking four batters in that span. However, he could not avoid damage in the third as two more walks led to three runs in the inning. The Tigers looked as though they were going to allow just one run in the inning, but a throwing error by catcher Trevor Hughes after a swinging strike in the dirt led to two unearned runs. ESU led 3-0 after three innings.

Ramberg ran out of gas in the fifth due to a high pitch count. BJ Dean hit a two-run homer for ESU to make it 5-1 and then a single chased Ramberg from the hill and the Tigers went on to use five relievers in the game. Ramberg’s final line had six runs allowed (four earned) on five hits and seven walks. But, he was effectively wild in the game and struck out six. The Hornets went on to score six runs in the fifth to take a commanding 9-1 lead. They tacked on a run in the seventh and then five in the eighth to make the final margin of 14 runs.

Fort Hays State’s only run came in the fourth on a balk with runners at first and third. Clayton Basgall came in to score on the pitcher’s mistake.

Seth Holman threw six strong innings for ESU, allowing one run on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He is now 5-1 on the season.

The Tigers and Hornets meet in the second game of the series on Saturday at 1 pm.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State Softball split its first two games at the MWSU Hy-Vee Classic on Friday. The Tigers fell to Upper Iowa in the first game 6-1 before taking their second game of the day 1-0 over University of Mary. The Tigers moved to 9-13 overall on the season.

Upper Iowa 6, Fort Hays State 1
Upper Iowa picked up single runs in the first, third, and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead and Fort Hays State’s bats struggled against pitcher Emily Kisch. The Tigers had just two hits through the first five innings and collected two more in the sixth inning when they generated their only run of the game.

Lily Sale and Bailey Kennedy executed a double steal for the only Tiger run. Kennedy led off the sixth with a double and moved to third on a bunt single by Sale. That set up the double steal situation at first and third as the Tigers cut the Peacock lead to 3-1.

Upper Iowa interrupted the potential comeback with three runs in the top of the seventh. All came on a two-out rally with the bases loaded. Sammy Garrett and Erin Drahozal each had two RBI in the game for Upper Iowa.

Kisch threw a complete game for the Peacocks, allowing just four hits and a walk in her complete game effort. She struck out six batters. Hailey Chapman registered a season-high 10 strikeouts in the loss for FHSU, despite allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks. She is now 5-8.

Fort Hays State 1, Mary 0
Fort Hays State scored a run in the second and it was enough for Carrie Clarke who threw her first complete game shutout of the season. Clarke allowed just five hits and struck out one to move to 4-2 on the season.

Collette West’s first RBI of the season was the game decider in the second inning. She drove home Candace Bollig, who led off the inning with a single.

Taylor Lara threw all six innings for Mary, allowing just four hits and two walks. She struck out one, but took the loss and moved to 2-7 overall.

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.