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

Results

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Tennis ran its win streak to eight matches with a 6-3 win over McPherson College on Tuesday at the FHSU Tennis Courts in the first home match of the spring. The Tigers swept doubles play, then split singles matches with the Bulldogs to secure the win. FHSU is now 8-2 overall, while McPherson went to 1-2.

The Tigers were able to hold off the Bulldogs in all three doubles matches. The No. 1 match was the closest as Natalie Lubbers and Lauren Lindell won 8-6 over Zipf and Bwalya. The No. 2 team of Laura Jimenez-Lendinez and Macy Moyers notched an 8-4 win over Bouwmeester and Striegel, while the No. 3 team of Nicole Lubbers and Jessica Johnson won 8-3 over Curtis and Hoffman.

In single play, the Lubbers sisters and Moyers notched wins. Natalie Lubbers won at No. 2 over Besa Bwalya in three sets, 6-2, 6-7, 10-4. Moyers took the No. 4 match in straight sets 6-0, 7-5 over Lea Striegel. Nicole Lubbers won 6-3, 6-4 over Madison Hoffman at the No. 5 position. Lindell dropped a hard-fought three set match at the No. 3 position, falling in the final set 11-9.

The Tigers open MIAA play this weekend as they welcome Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma to Hays. The match with NSU on Friday begins at 11 am, while the match Saturday with UCO starts at 10 am.

POTTSBORO, Texas – Fort Hays State Women’s Golf opened the spring portion of its 2016-17 schedule on Monday and Tuesday (Mar. 6-7) at the Lion Invitational at Tanglewood Resort, hosted by Texas A&M-Commerce. The Tigers finished 13th in the team standings out of the 16 teams competing.

Hannah Perkins led the way for FHSU with a total score of 178, shooting rounds of 90 and 88 to tie for 41st. Madison Roether had the lowest round of the tournament for FHSU with an 87, then followed with a 95 for a 182 total. Taylor DeBoer carded 92 and 94, Kelsey McCarthy shot 94 and 93, and Kylie McCarthy posted 95 each day.

Imkaleen Meyer of Newman University set the pace winning individually by four strokes at a total of 155. St. Mary’s University (Texas) won the team title with a two-day total of 649. Newman was close behind at 653. Fort Hays State shot a total of 733 as a team over two days.

The women return to action in two weeks at the Holiday Inn Express MWSU Spring Invitational in St. Joseph, Mo. (Mar. 20-21).

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head baseball coach Steve Johnson has announced a change in the weekend trip to play Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo. The three-game MIAA series will now begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 9 before a doubleheader starts at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 10. Live stats and live video will be available for all three games.

The Tigers enter the weekend 7-10 on the year and 1-5 in conference play after taking one of three games against Central Oklahoma last weekend, while the Bearcats are 9-6 overall and 1-5 in the league after getting swept by Missouri Western their last time out.

Fort Hays State holds a 22-11 edge in the all-time series with the Bearcats, including a 10-8 margin in games played in Bolivar. However, SBU has won six of the last seven meetings. The series began in 2007 when the Tigers joined the MIAA.

Dayton Pomeroy continues to lead the team with a .350 batting average, totaling 10 extra-base hits and 11 RBI. The Tigers have 16 home runs as a team, fourth most in the MIAA. Sam Capps leads the Tiger starters with a 4.50 ERA in 20 innings of work, while Cole Schumacher has yet to give up a run out of the pen and Clayton Basgall has a 1.69 ERA to go along with three saves.

The Bearcats are hitting .330 as a team, ranking fourth in the league. Their team ERA is last in the league at 7.57, giving up 10 or more runs seven times so far this season. Jovany Urbieta and Hunter Hisky are both batting .418 with 23 hits so far this season, tying for the team lead with six doubles each.

FHSU Sports Information

EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State baseball team held on to defeat Central Oklahoma Sunday afternoon, 8-7, salvaging the finale of the three-game set. The Tigers gave up an early lead before going back on top with a two-out rally in the sixth and held on down the stretch to secure their first conference win and first win away from Larks Park this season.

Fort Hays State improved to 7-10 on the year and 1-5 in MIAA play while the Bronchos dip to 12-3 overall and 4-2 in the league after their first home loss of the season.

The Tigers jumped in front early for the second day in a row, putting up three runs in the top of the first. Ty Lanfermen and Nick Hammeke both worked walks to open the contest and moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt from  Lanferman. Dayton Pomeroy then reached on an error, allowing Redington to come around and score. Clayton Basgall followed with a double down the left field line in the next at bat, plating a pair after the left fielder mishandled the ball.

The day ended early for the UCO starter, who faced seven batters and recorded just two outs. Fort Hays State had trouble solving Broncho reliever J.D. Cameron, who retired the first 10 batters he faced.

The Bronchos took the lead during the FHSU dry spell, scoring five runs in the second inning behind a grand slam and adding another run in the third. Tiger starter Alex Ruxlow (3-3) got into a groove after the shaky second inning, giving up just three hits and one walk over the next five innings. The junior ultimately turned in seven strong innings, allowing six runs on six hits and three walks while striking out six, including three-straight punch-outs to open the game in the bottom of the first.

Fort Hays State finally got to Cameron the second time through the lineup, with Jace Bowman doubling to left to lead off the top of the fifth. The Tigers manufactured a run after Redington laid down a sacrifice bunt and Hammeke grounded out to short, making the score 6-4.

Cameron appeared to be back in control after inducing a pair of groundouts to open the sixth inning, but the Tigers put together a big two-out rally to take back the lead for good. Trevor Hughes singled to center before Bryce Witchuurch lifted a home run to center, tying things up at six. Bowman kept it going with a single before Redington followed with a home run of his own, putting the Tigers back in front 8-6.

The Tigers went to the bullpen after Ruxlow completed the seventh inning, calling on Easton Palmer. After the Bronchos scored a run on a double and a pair of Tiger errors, Basgall shifted from second base to the mound to try to finish things off. After forcing his first batter to pop up, Basgall picked off a runner to clear the bases. The junior completed the inning with his lone strikeout of the afternoon.

Central Oklahoma had one runner reach base in the ninth on an error, but the tying run was stranded at second when Basgall worked a pair of groundouts to secure his third save of the season.

Bowman turned in his first multi-hit game of the season, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. In addition to collecting the save, Basgall doubled twice and drove in one run. Redington went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI after crushing his first home run of the season. Witchurch’s long ball was his first of the year as well, driving in two.

The Tigers will wrap up a 10-game road swing when they return to action next weekend against Southwest Baptist (March 10-12). The three-game set will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday from Bolivar, Mo.

FHSU Sports Information