FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State split its doubleheader with Newman on Monday in Wichita, Kan.  The Tigers dropped a narrow game one contest, 7-6, before taking a 6-3 victory in game two.

FHSU (22-21) continues its road trip on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo., against Rockhurst in a doubleheader set for 2 p.m.

Complete recaps of Monday’s games are below…

Game 1: Newman 7, Fort Hays State 6
Fort Hays State hit five doubles in a back-and-forth contest, but a walk-off single in the seventh dealt the Tigers their fifth straight loss in 7-6 fashion.

Paxton Duran (11-10) was dealt the loss after throwing 6.1 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits while striking out three.  Savannah Price threw 0.1 innings and gave up the walk-off hit in the seventh.

Samantha Villarreal finished the game 2-for-4 with a an RBI double, while four other Tigers had doubles on the day –Kylie Strand, Erin Elmore, Mackenzie Villarreal and Duran.  Elmore and Duran each had two RBI to lead the team.

FHSU broke through in the second behind Duran’s RBI double, taking a 2-0 lead and never looking back.  In the second, Samantha Villarreal led off with a single, moving to second on a groundout and to third when Rilee Krier reached on an error.  After Krier stole second to put two runners in scoring position, Duran doubled through the right side, scoring both Tigers.

Strand led off the third with a double prior to Erin Elmore reaching after being hit by a pitch, and with one out, Samantha Villarreal doubled down the right field to score Strand and push the lead to 3-0.  Newman struck back in the bottom of the third, however, with four runs of its own (including a three-run home run) to take the lead.

The Tigers took back the lead (5-4) in the fourth after Elmore’s two-out double scored Courtney Dobson, who reached on a fielder’s choice, and Strand, who walked.

A fielding error in the bottom of the fourth helped the Jets tie the game at 5-5, but FHSU answered once more with a run in the top of the fifth.  After Amanda Vaupel reached on an error, two wild pitches moved the centerfielder to third for Mackenzie Villarreal, who hit the Tigers’ fifth double of the day to drive Vaupel home.

In the bottom of the seventh, NU tied it before Price entered to try and force extras, but after the second out of the inning, a walk-off single pushed the winning run home for the Jets.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 6, Newman 3
FHSU hit two home runs and snapped its five-game losing streak with a 6-3 win to close the doubleheader with Newman.

Sarah Cochran (2-1) earned the complete game win, giving up three runs while scattering 10 hits with five strikeouts.

Samantha Villarreal went 1-for-3 with three RBI while Strand was 1-for-3 with two RBI.  Both Tigers hit home runs.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first when Strand scampered home on Samantha Villarreal’s sacrifice fly, and later pushed the lead to 3-0 in the third off Samantha Villarreal’s two-run home run.  Tori Beltz drew a one-out walk in the third before Samantha Villarreal hit her first home run of the season over the center field wall.

NU cut the lead to one (3-2) in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run of its own, but the Tigers stretched the lead back to three in the top of the fourth.

With one out, Veronica Knittig walked and later moved to second on a sacrifice bunt.  Strand then drove a 1-2 pitch over the fence for her team-leading seventh home run of the year.

The Tigers’ advantage grew to four (6-3) in the top of the sixth.  Krier reached on an error to start the inning and after moving to second on a passed ball, saw Knittig join her on the basepaths with a walk.  Dobson’s single loaded the bases, and with one out, Elmore reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Krier.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State baseball won its second consecutive MIAA four-game series by sweeping Pittsburg State in a doubleheader on Saturday in Pittsburg, Kan. The Tigers won the games by scores of 8-5 and 7-2, using six home runs on the afternoon to move up to 11th in the MIAA standings.

Fort Hays State hosts its final five home games this coming week at Larks Park. The Tigers take on Newman in a non-conference game on Wednesday at 5 pm before hosting Emporia State in a four-game MIAA series over the weekend.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 8, Pittsburg State 5
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two and a half inning before the Gorillas notched their first two runs in the third. Connor Ross led off the game with a solo home run in the first and then Kevin Czarnecki provided a three-run blast in the third to give the Tigers the early cushion.

Pittsburg State added two more runs in the fourth to tie the game, but the Tigers regained the lead for good with two runs in the fifth on another Ross solo homer and a Czarnecki RBI single. The Gorillas pulled back within one at 6-5 with a run in the fifth, but Cooper Langley pushed the lead to three at 8-5 with a two-run homer in the seventh.

Tyler Patty relieved Joe Mapes in the fourth inning and went 3.2 innings in relief for the win. Patty allowed just two hits and two walks, while striking out two. His only run allowed was unearned. Mapes went 3.1 innings in his start, allowing four runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Nick Brandecker took the loss for PSU, moving to 1-2 on the year. He allowed five runs on five hits and three walks, but struck out four. Reliever Aaron Snow allowed one run to the Tigers and Drake Herrman allowed two.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 7, Pittsburg State 2
Fort Hays State took a 1-0 lead after the first inning on an Austin Unrein RBI triple, but Pittsburg State took its first lead with two runs in the third to go up 2-1. The Tigers knotted the game with a Connor Ross RBI single in the fourth.

Pittsburg State’s only error of the game would prove costly in the fifth as Andre Vieyra made the Gorillas pay with a two-out, two-RBI single, putting the Tigers on top 4-2. Those would prove to be the decisive runs as FHSU starter Justin Hersch and Unrein made the lead hold up.

Hersch had his second consecutive solid outing on the mound, allowing just two runs in 6.1 innings of work. He surrendered six hits and three walks, but struck out seven. Unrein picked up his second save of the season by pitching the final 2.2 innings of the game. He allowed just one hit and struck out three.

Providing insurance in the eighth and ninth were Jake Lanferman and Cooper Langley. Lanferman had a solo homer in the eighth to make it 5-2, then Langley made it 7-2 with a two-run homer. Langley now has 15 home runs on the season as he hit three in the series.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State was hampered by limited offense in Saturday’s doubleheader at Washburn, falling 6-2 in game one before dropping an 8-0, five-inning contest in the finale.

Fort Hays State, now at 21-20 overall and 12-12 in the MIAA, has slipped to eighth place in the MIAA standings. FHSU will have to win at least one game against Nebraska-Kearney on April 24 in Hays in the final conference doubleheader of the year to hold off UNK in the MIAA standings. The top eight teams qualify for the MIAA Tournament. Mathematical possibilities still remain for movement and several ties in the standings, but it looks as though it will come down to the Tigers needing at least one win against the Lopers to punch their ticket to the conference tournament.

FHSU continues its road trip with non-conference doubleheaders at Newman on Monday then at Rockhurst Tuesday.

Game 1: Washburn 6, Fort Hays State 2
Fort Hays State couldn’t overcome a hot-hitting Washburn squad, falling 6-2 in the first game of the day.

Paxton Duran (10-10) took the loss, tossing three innings with five runs allowed (four earned) on six hits.  Duran struck out two and did not walk a batter before Savanah Price entered to toss the final three innings.  Price was tagged for one run on four hits, striking out two and walking one.

Samantha Villarreal was 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI, while Erin Elmore, Price and Dobson also had hits for the Tigers.

A solo home run from WU’s Cassidy Merriman gave the Ichabods a 1-0 lead in the first, and another three runs in the second pushed the Tigers’ deficit to 4-0.

Trailing 5-0 in the fourth, Amanda Vaupel took advantage of a WU error and moved to second, but after the Tigers put runners on first and third with two outs, the Ichabods got a ground ball to get out of the jam.

FHSU again threatened in the fifth, loading the bases before a diving stop on a ground ball to second kept the Tigers off the board.

Another home run pushed it to 6-0 in WU’s half of the fifth, beforea late rally in the seventh saw FHSU end the shutout.  With bases loaded, Tori Beltz drew a walk to score Courtney Dobson and Samantha Villarreal singled into right, plating Kylie Strand. That was as close as FHSU came, however, as the rally was cut short.

Game 2: Washburn 8, Fort Hays State 0
FHSU managed just one hit in the game two loss, falling 8-0 in five innings to the Ichabods.

Kelsey Kimminau (10-9) threw four innings, giving up eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits, and Veronica Knittig had FHSU’s only hit of the game – a single in the

Washburn again struck in the first, taking a 3-0 lead behind a five-hit effort in the inning.  WU added another five runs in the fourth to put the game in run-rule territory, and FHSU couldn’t force a continuation in the fifth.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State baseball split a pair of conference games at Pittsburg State on Friday in Pittsburg, Kan. The Tigers took the seven-inning contest 11-3 before falling in the nine-inning game 8-6.

The Tigers (12-23, 9-17 MIAA) and Gorillas (12-21, 8-14 MIAA) will play another doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 1 pm.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 11, Pittsburg State 3
Fort Hays State took a 5-1 lead after two innings and never looked back in an eight-run win. FHSU scored twice in the fifth, sixth, and seventh to pull away late.

FHSU went up 3-0 in the top of the first on an RBI single by Kevin Czarnecki and a two-run home run by Cooper Langley. In the second, Nick Hammeke had an RBI double and then he came in to score on an error by the Gorillas.

Gabe Cook turned in a solid effort on the mound to keep the Tigers in front. He threw a complete game by scattering seven hits with three walks, while striking out four. Only one of the three runs he allowed was earned. Cook improved to 1-2 on the year.

FHSU was up 5-2 after three innings before it widened the lead to five in the fifth. Alex King drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and then Andre Vieyra scored on a throwing error.

Extra-base hits would give the Tigers their final four runs of the game. In the sixth, Austin Unrein hit a solo homer and Langley had a RBI double. In the seventh, Connor Ross hit a two-run homer.

Game 2: Pittsburg State 8, Fort Hays State 6
Fort Hays State initially took the lead in the second contest of the day with a run in the third, but Pittsburg State scored two in the fourth to go up 2-1 and led the rest of the game despite the Tigers pulling within one two more times.

Connor Ross got the Tigers on the board in the third with a sacrifice fly RBI. Steven Federau had a solid first three innings on the mound before running into trouble in the fourth. He took the hard luck loss in the game with only two runs surrendered, since the Tigers never caught the Gorillas from there on out, dropping to 0-3 on the year.

Pittsburg State expanded its lead to 6-1 with four runs in the fifth, three coming off reliever Giles Fox who lasted only a third of an inning. Kyle Vogt would go on to pitch the next 3.1 innings, allowing three runs, and Austin Unrein picked up the final out of the eighth.

The Tigers bounced back to put four runs on the board in the sixth, pulling back within one at 6-5. A double, followed by three straight singles led to the four runs. Kevin Czarnecki and Cooper Langley each had RBI singles, then Andre Vieyra and Alex King each had RBI groundouts. However, PSU pushed its lead to 7-5 with a solo homer in the sixth.

Czarnecki got that run back in the seventh with a RBI single, but the Gorillas brought in closer Ryan McKay to get the final out of the inning to stop the Tiger rally. McKay would go on to hold the Tigers scorless over the final two innings to pick up his sixth save of the season. PSU added an insurance run in the eighth.

PSU starter Jake Stevenson picked up the win, going 6.0 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks, but struck out four. He moved to 2-4 on the season.