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Category: Sports

Lady Indian soccer plays to draw

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By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan.-Defense was the name of the game on Thursday afternoon as Hays High and Liberal tangled in the second Western Athletic Conference matchup of the week for the Lady Indians. Hays had the ball on the Liberal half of the field for a majority of the first half but could not get a goal. Liberal mounted few offensive attacks and the game went to the half tied at 0-0.

The second half was much of the same as the two defenses would not allow a goal. After regulation the two teams play two 10 minute overtime periods and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Hays is now 4-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in league play. They will host Junction City on Monday at 4pm.

TMP-Marian softball swept by Garden City

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HAYS, Kan. – The TMP-Marian softball team was held to three runs and nine hits and were swept by Garden City 11-1 and 12-2 Thursday at the TMP Field.

Kyleigh Allen pitched both games striking out eight and walking three in the opener. She struck out five with two walks in game two.

Emilee Augustine doubled and Allen tripled in game one for two of TMP’s three hits in the first contest. Emilee Schulte had two singles in the second game and Sophia Coulter doubled.

The Monarchs fall to 3-5.

Turnbull solid, and Tigers beat Royals 5-4 in home opener

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DETROIT (AP) — With only four previous starts in the major leagues, Spencer Turnbull was easily the least experienced member of Detroit’s starting rotation.

That made him an interesting choice to start the home opener — but the 26-year-old right-hander was up to the challenge.

“It was a dream come true,” Turnbull said. “It’s the coolest feeling in my life so far. Cool — emphasis on the cool. It was very cold.”

Turnbull struck out 10 in six chilly innings, and the Tigers drew four straight walks to start the bottom of the seventh, taking the lead for good in their 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Josh Harrison stole two bases and scored three times for Detroit.

The temperature at gametime was 39 degrees.

It was tied at 3 in the seventh when Kansas City reliever Kyle Zimmer (0-1) walked Harrison, Nicholas Castellanos and Miguel Cabrera in succession. Kevin McCarthy then came on and walked Niko Goodrum on four pitches, forcing in a run.

“There’s no excuse for that,” Zimmer said. “Yes, it was cold, but not any colder than it was for any other pitcher. I just didn’t do my job. I just cost our team a game. This one is completely on me.”

Christin Stewart added a sacrifice fly that inning to make it 5-3. Blaine Hardy (1-0) allowed a solo homer to Alex Gordon in the eighth, his second inning of work. Shane Greene pitched the ninth for his fifth save in five chances.

Whit Merrifield singled, tripled and scored twice for the Royals, extending his hitting streak to 26 games dating to last season. He came up with two outs in the ninth and Billy Hamilton on first, but the speedy Hamilton never stole second, and Merrifield grounded out.

Turnbull, impressive enough in spring training to earn a spot in the rotation, allowed two earned runs. He yielded six hits and two walks but prevented Kansas City from any big innings.

The Royals have lost four straight after winning their first two games this season. Detroit’s five runs were a season high. The Tigers had scored only 12 runs through their first seven games.

Detroit’s outfield wasn’t sharp defensively, and that helped Kansas City score two runs. An error by Castellanos in right field allowed Gordon to score from first on Jorge Soler’s double in the first. In the fifth, Goodrum was unable to cut off a ball hit to center, and Merrifield ended up with a leadoff triple. He came home on Gordon’s sacrifice fly for a 3-2 lead.

Goodrum answered with his bat, however, hitting a flare past first base for an RBI double in the bottom of the inning.

Cabrera hit an RBI single in Detroit’s two-run first.

Royals starter Jakob Junis allowed three runs in six innings.

“I knew Jake was going to settle down, but I was afraid the first inning was going to get away from him before he got there,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “Luckily, he did a nice job of limiting the damage.”

FESTIVITIES

Mary Wilson of the Supremes sang the national anthem before the game, and former Detroit reliever Guillermo Hernandez was on hand for the ceremonial first pitch.

Then the Tigers went out and improved to 5-3 — a nice start for a team coming off back-to-back 98-loss seasons.

“The fans here are pretty knowledgeable baseball people, and they understand what we’re going through, but it’s like everybody else. Fans have a lot of hopes and big dreams of us coming out and winning and getting right back into the playoffs,” Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That’s the same dreams we have inside of the clubhouse. We don’t want to hear anybody tell us how bad we are.”

SLOPPY

The Royals hadn’t made an error all season before a pair of miscues Thursday. Catcher Martin Maldonado had a throwing error in the fifth, and Merrifield, the second baseman, followed suit in the sixth.

Tampa Bay is the last remaining team without an error.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Detroit is without OF JaCoby Jones (left shoulder), and his absence appeared to hurt the Tigers defensively Thursday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jorge Lopez (0-1) takes the mound Saturday. He allowed four runs in five-plus innings against the Chicago White Sox in his first start this season.

Tigers: LHP Matt Moore (0-0) makes his first home start for Detroit.

Former FHSU wrestling coach inducted in Colorado Sports Hall of Fame

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Inductee Bob Smith, center, with masters of ceremonies Susie Wargin and Dave Logan. (Photo by Kristin Rucker, Colorado Sports Hall of Fame)

By TERRY FREI
Greeley (Colo.) Tribune

DENVER — Longtime state wrestling icon Bob Smith, a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 115-pound champion in 1958 while competing at what now is the University of Northern Colorado, was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual banquet Wednesday night.

Now a resident of Hudson, Colo., Smith was raised in Denver and is a graduate of Denver North High School, were he was a two-time state wrestling champion.

He went on from UNC to coach at Wray High School for 33 years and then at Fort Hays State University for eight more years before retiring in 2000. In retirement in Weld County, he also has lived in Milliken before moving to Hudson.

At Wray, his teams won 10 state championships and as head of the state’s wrestling coaches association, he was also instrumental in lobbying for the 1987 move of all classifications in state wrestling to one site for the state wrestling tournament. He was the national high school coach of the year in 1984.

“I’ve been pinching myself ever since I received a call last year,” Smith said in his turn at the podium in the Hilton Denver City Center banquet room. “This is really happening.”

Smith paid tribute to his late wife of 57 years, Marilyn; his son Scott, who was killed in an automobile accident when he was a senior at Chadron (Neb.) State College; and the rest of his family.

“I do have to say I learned so much from my students and wrestlers,” he said.

He also praised UNC wrestling coach John Hancock as one of his mentors.

“The concept of being a gentleman was a big part of my coaching and teaching vocabulary,” Smith added. “My goal was to help these young men be gentlemen. I wanted my wrestlers to be gentlemen, both on and off the mat. Some of my best feelings as a coach were not winning championships but seeing these young men develop as productive citizens and share their accomplishments in their chosen professions throughout their lives.”

He said he was proud that “80-plus” of his former wrestlers had become coaches “at various levels around the nation.”

He pitched for the continued support of wrestling and noted, “Wrestling’s next horizon will be the addition of girls’ and women’s wrestling at all levels.”

Smith and all five of the other inductees are Colorado natives.

The others entering the Hall in the Class of 2019 Wednesday night were swimmer Missy Franklin; former Thomas Jefferson High, University of Colorado and Broncos tight end Daniel Graham; long-time Colorado School of Mines football coach and athletic director Marv Kay; former Steamboat Springs High and Colorado College standout athlete Tom Southall, who competed despite being born without a right hand; and Todd Lodwick, a six-time Olympian in the Nordic Combined.

Fossil Ridge High School swimmer Zoe Bartel and Fountain-Fort Carson sprinter Jalen Lyon were the high school athletes of the year. University of Colorado cross-country star Dani Jones and University of Denver lacrosse player Trevor Baptiste were named the college athletes of the year.

Also, Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay accepted the award as professional athlete of the year and Wake Forest University golfer Jennifer Kupcho, from Jefferson Academy in Broomfield, was amateur athlete of the year. She is the top-rated woman amateur golfer in the world and is the defending NCAA champion.

— Terry Frei writes features and columns for The Tribune. He’s the author of seven books, including “’77: Denver, the Broncos, and a Coming of Age.” He can be reached at (970) 392-4424 or [email protected]. His website is https://www.terryfrei.com. Twitter: @tfrei

Republished with permission

Rosario, Twins rally past Royals for 2nd day in row, win 7-6

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By KOLLIN MILLER
Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Eddie Rosario hit a go-ahead single in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins again rallied late against Kansas City, beating the Royals 7-6 on Thursday.

After Max Kepler hit a tying, two-run single with two outs in the Twins eighth, Nelson Cruz drew a leadoff walk in the ninth from Wily Peralta (0-1).

Pinch-runner Byron Buxton stole second and scored when Rosario followed with a single.

Willians Astudillo and Mitch Garver each had three hits and scored twice for the Twins.

Whit Merrifield extended his hitting streak to 25 games, tied with George Brett and Mike Sweeney for third longest by a Royals player. Alex Gordon homered and drove in four runs for Kansas City.

Adalberto Mondesi kept up his fast start for the Royals with two more hits, including his third triple of the season. The 23-year-old shortstop also flashed the leather in the field, laying out for a catch in shallow left to leave the bases loaded in the sixth and then starting an inning-ending double play with two runners on in the seventh.

Trevor May (1-0) threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win and Blake Parker picked up his second save in as many days.

The game drew an announced crowd of 10,575. A day earlier, the Twins scored the tying run in the ninth and won 5-4 in the 10th on an RBI single by Cruz – that game drew 10,024, the lowest at Kauffman Stadium in eight years.

Despite surrendering a run in the bottom of the first, Twins starter Kyle Gibson cruised through 4 2/3 innings. But after retiring the first two hitters in the fifth, the next seven batters reached base – one on an error – and he left with the Royals lead 6-3.

Three Twins relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings. The Kansas City bullpen faltered, giving up four runs and six hits over four innings.

Homer Bailey, who was 1-14 with a 6.09 ERA last year with Cincinnati, was solid in his first Kansas City debut. He threw five innings, allowing five hits and three runs and striking out eight. batters. But for the second consecutive day, the Royals bullpen couldn’t shut down the Twins.

GETTING IN A GROOVE

After three off days in the first week of the season, Kansas City will play games on 19 consecutive days beginning Saturday at Detroit, something manager Ned Yost is looking forward to.

“I’m glad we get past Friday and we get to roll for a while,” Yost said. “I’m happy for that.”

The Twins have five days off in the first 12 days of the season, the most in baseball. Beginning April 12, Minnesota has a game on 13 straight days.

ROSTER MOVES

Kansas City added Bailey to the roster prior to the game. RHP Chris Ellis, who made his major league debut on Sunday, was designated for assignment.

UP NEXT

Royals: Jakob Junis gets his second start of the season Thursday as the Royals hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Detroit for a three-game series with the Tigers. Junis was the winning pitcher Saturday in his first start of the season, giving up three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work as the Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 8-6.

Twins: Jake Odorizzi tries to follow up an outstanding first start of the season Friday at Philadelphia as Minnesota continues a nine-day road trip. Odorizzi matched his career high with 11 strikeouts over six innings in a no decision Saturday against Cleveland.

Hays-area club volleyball team ends season on top

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from left to right Back row: Heather Schemper (8th Grade-Phillipsburg), Brooklyn Staab (Sophomore-Plainville), Emilee Lane-(Freshman-TMP-Marian), Sasha Wasinger (Sophomore-TMP-Marian), Tallon Rentschler (Freshman-Smith Center), Savannah Yost (Coach) Front row: Ashley Ostrander (Coach), McKenzie Flax-(Freshman-Hays High), Emilee Augustine (Sophomore-TMP-Marian), Kassidi Yost (Freshman-TMP-Marian)

The Western Kansas Elite 16-1 volleyball team is made up of girls from Hays and surrounding communities with varying ages. This talented group of girls competed in the Heart of America Region from January to March, which includes teams from Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

They competed in six tournaments and earned four No. 1 finishes, including in an 18s division tournament. The last tournament they participated in was the 16s select division HOA Regional two-day tournament in Lawrence. The team went undefeated on day one, and made it to the championship game on day two, resulting in a second-place finish. The team finished their season on a high note, with a No. 1 overall ranking in the HOA Region out of 93 participating teams.

Pictured from left to right
Back row: Heather Schemper (8th Grade-Phillipsburg), Brooklyn Staab (Sophomore-Plainville), Emilee Lane-(Freshman-TMP-Marian), Sasha Wasinger (Sophomore-TMP-Marian), Tallon Rentschler (Freshman-Smith Center), Savannah Yost (Coach)
Front row: Ashley Ostrander (Coach), McKenzie Flax-(Freshman-Hays High), Emilee Augustine (Sophomore-TMP-Marian), Kassidi Yost (Freshman-TMP-Marian)

Breckbill’s walk-off hit gives FHSU softball split with No. 2 UCO

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HAYS, Kan. – After falling 7-1 in the first game of the day, Fort Hays State handed No. 2 ranked Central Oklahoma its third loss of the season and their first in conference play with a 7-6 walk-off win in eight innings in game two of their doubleheader Tuesday at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers moved to 14-13 overall, 7-5 in the MIAA while the Bronchos moved to 29-3 and 11-1 in conference play.

Game 1: Central Oklahoma 7, Fort Hays State 1
After holding Central Oklahoma scoreless over the first two innings, Fort Hays State starting pitcher Michaelanne Nelson ran into trouble in the third by allowing a single and two walks with two outs to load the bases. Carli Jones made the Tigers pay for the two free passes in front of her by hitting a grand slam over the right field wall, instantly putting UCO on top 4-0.

The Bronchos tacked on two more runs in the fourth with a pair of RBI singles and then pushed the lead to 7-0 in the sixth with another RBI single. Two of the singles were from JoBi Heath and the other from Bailey Thompson. Jones’ big blast in the third was enough for the Bronchos, while limiting the Tigers to just a single run in the sixth.

Sara Breckbill was the only Tiger to drive in a run in the first game. Her RBI single in the sixth brought in Terran Caldwell, who started the inning with a double followed up by a single from Katie Adler.

Bailey McKittrick held FHSU hitless over the first 4.1 innings, allowing just a walk and a hit batter to that point. Jeni Mohr broke up her no-hit bid in the fifth with a single to the left side, beating out the shortstop’s throw at first base. The Tigers started to solve McKittrick further in the sixth with three hits, which was a precursor to good things that happened late against her in game two. McKittrick moved to 15-0 on the season with the win, allowing one run on five hits with seven strikeouts.

Nelson moved to 5-7 on the season with the loss. She allowed seven runs on 11 hits and seven walks. She struck out four. Megan Jamison picked up the final three outs for the Tigers in the seventh, allowing a hit with a strikeout.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 7, Central Oklahoma 6 (8 inn.)
Fort Hays State took an early 2-0 lead in game two, but had to come from behind twice to defeat nationally ranked UCO in game two. The Tigers outhit the Bronchos 16-7, but overcame fielding and baserunning mistakes to win 7-6 in walk-off fashion on a hit to the wall by Sara Breckbill in the eighth inning.

A fielding error by the Bronchos extended the first inning and the Tigers made them pay with back-to-back RBI singles from Bailey Boxberger and Elise Capra. However, with the 2-0 lead, FHSU starting pitcher Hailey Chapman struggled with command in the second and a pair of wild pitches led to UCO scoring a pair of runs to tie the game with two outs in the inning. UCO then jumped in front 3-2 with an RBI double.

The Bronchos helped the Tigers out further in the bottom of the second when a throwing error allowed a run to score with just one out in the inning. The Tigers could have taken the lead on a grounder to the right side of the infield with runners at first and third, but a base-running blunder turned into a double play and left the score knotted at 3-3.

The Tigers found themselves in a hole once more when UCO plated three more runs in the third. Game-one nemesis Carli Jones struck again with a two-run homer to right field, nearly in the same location as her game one grand slam, giving UCO a 5-3 lead. The lead moved to 6-3 when a throwing error to first base with two outs allowed another run to score.

After a rough pair of innings, Chapman settled in to hold the nation’s seventh-best hitting and eighth-best run scoring team scoreless over the final five innings. That allowed FHSU to claw its way back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and a single run in the fifth to tie the game 6-6.

In the third, Breckbill led off with a single and then Boxberger backed it up with a double. That chased UCO starting pitcher Sydney McLeod from the game. Against reliever Lauren Gibson, Allison Jurgensen came up with a two-RBI single to cut the lead to 6-5. Jurgensen delivered again in the fifth with a bloop RBI-single down the right field line that scored the tying run.

Chapman allowed only two hits over her final five innings in a complete game effort. She got out of jams with runners at third in both the sixth and eighth innings to give the Tigers a chance to win. They finally seized that opportunity in the bottom of the eighth off game-one starter Bailey McKittrick, who entered the game to pitch at the beginning of the inning. A well-placed infield single by Terran Caldwell to the left side started the rally. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Katie Adler. After Grace Philop flew out to center field, Breckbill gave the Tigers a victory with a lazer shot over the left fielder’s head that plated Caldwell from second. It also gave McKittrick her first losing decision of the season in the circle.

Chapman moved to 8-6 overall with the win. She allowed seven hits and six walks, while striking out nine. The last of her strikeouts stranded UCO’s potential go-ahead runner at third to end the eighth inning. Five of her six runs allowed were earned.

Tiger Notes
-FHSU picked up its first win over a ranked team in over three years. The last was a 5-1 win over No. 20 Augustana on February 19, 2016.
-Bailey Boxberger went 4-for-4 at the plate in game two of the doubleheader.
-Allison Jurgensen drove in the most runs for the Tigers in the 7-6 win with three.
-Central Oklahoma’s only other losses this year were to non-conference opponents Texas A&M-Commerce and Augustana.
-Fort Hays State now has three walk-off wins this season, two on hits by Grace Philop and now one by Sara Breckbill.

Up Next
Fort Hays State will remain at home for the next pair of conference doubleheaders. Missouri Western comes to Hays on Saturday, April 6 and then Northwest Missouri State is in town on Sunday, April 7. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for 12 pm.

HHS softball swept by Garden City

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HAYS, Kan. – The Hays High softball team committed 20 errors, 14 in the second game, and were swept by Garden City 9-3 and 11-5 in their Western Athletic Conference opener Tuesday at Glassman Park.

The Indians (2-2) scored a run in the first inning of game one but were held to four hits. The Buffs answered with six in the top of the second.

Kaitlyn Brown took the loss allowing six runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.

The Indians led 4-3 after three innings in the second game but Garden City scored three in the fourth to take the lead then added five in the sixth to blow it open.

Jaysa Wichers went the distance with only two of the 11 runs earned. Wichers struck out nine and walked one.

Brenna Schwein, Madelyn Waddell and McKinley Wamser all doubled.

Late run sends Lipscomb past Wichita State in NIT semis

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NEW YORK (AP) — Garrison Mathews is the kind of player only the most die-hard basketball fans would know, his prolific scoring seldom on any sports highlight clips. With the college basketball spotlight blasted on Madison Square Garden, Mathews put the sport on notice and buried a shot in the clutch that sparked madness for tiny Lipscomb.

Mathews swished his ninth 3-pointer of the game in front of an exuberant Lipscomb bench for the lead with 1:10 left in the game to send the Bisons on their way to the NIT championship in a 71-64 win over Wichita State on Tuesday night.

“It was good to just do it for the team and kind of give us a lift,” he said.

He carried them to the NIT final.

Mathews had been buried in obscurity for the ASUN Conference Bisons (29-7), but put on a show on national television in crunch time at Madison Square Garden. He yelled as the shot fell from beyond NBA 3-point range and the Bisons rose from the bench in jubilation. Mathews sealed the win with free throws and finished with 34 points, setting the state for Lipscomb to play for its first NIT championship.

“People should know about us by now,” forward Rob Marberry said. “I think people can finally see Lipscomb’s a basketball school now.”

Wichita State’s Samajae Haynes-Jones stole the ball near the 3-point line and the 6-foot guard exploded for a fast break dunk that turned MSG yellow and gave the Shockers a late double-digit lead. But they faded down the stretch and one of the hottest second-half teams in basketball missed their final 10 shots and over the final 8-plus minutes to head home empty-handed.

Dexter Dennis scored 13 points and Markis McDuffie had 12 for the Shockers.

The Shockers had a solid season under coach Gregg Marshall, six years after he led the program to the Final Four. Marshall led the Shockers to the 2011 NIT championship, a springboard for the most successful era in program history. The Shockers (22-15) made their own sensational run in the NIT, beating the No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds, all on the road, just to make it to New York.

“This was a year we could have taken a big dip. I mean, a big dip,” Marshall said. “But we’re in Madison Square Garden playing in April.”

The Shockers had their hands full against the fifth-seeded Bisons.

A year after NIT champion Penn State drew big, rowdy crowds to Madison Square Garden, the arena was nearly empty for the matchup between teams from Kansas and Tennessee. New Yorkers wasted their chance to watch Mathews, named to The Associated Press All-America honorable mention team. Mathews was named ASUN player of the year and averaged 26.3 points in the NIT. He entered with a whopping 2,429 career points and scored 44 points in an NIT quarterfinal win over North Carolina State.

He created open looks by moving without the ball and was a burst of energy in Lipscomb’s first ever game against the Shockers.

Mathews hit three 3s and scored 18 points in the first half to give Lipscomb a 35-30 lead at the break. The Bisons, who lost the ASUN Tournament championship game to Liberty, looked to Mathews every chance they got. He buried a 3 on a fast break off a turnover to bring the Bisons within one, and even his misses worked in their favor. He missed on a long 3, but Ahsan Asadullah scored on an uncontested tip for a five-point lead.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

The NIT was a bit of a mad scientist in the college basketball lab. The 3-point line was extended to the same distance used by FIBA (22 feet, 1.75 inches). The free throw lane matched the NBA and was widened from 12 to 16 feet. The shot clock also reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound instead of the full 30 seconds, as well as other minor changes.

The experimental rules will help the NCAA determine if a marginally more difficult 3-point shot will be effective for college basketball and if widening the lane will reduce physicality and create more driving opportunities.

“The style of play in men’s college basketball is healthy and appealing, but the leadership governing the game is interested in keeping the playing rules contemporary and trending favorably,” said Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball.

UP NEXT

Lipscomb: Faces the winner of the semifinal between TCU and Texas.

Lady Indian soccer defeats Dodge City in OT

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By JEREMY McGUIRE
Hays Post

DODGE CITY, Kan.-80 minutes of soccer just wasn’t enough for the Hays High Lady Indians as they travelled to Dodge City for their Western Athletic Conference opener on Tuesday. Hays faced a very defensive minded Red Demons team who packed at least 7 players in the box most of the night.

The Lady Indians had scoring opportunities in regulation but couldn’t convert on a penalty kick and free kicks outside the box. The game went to overtime and with 2:16 left a Dodge City penalty gave Hays High their second penalty kick of the game. Maggie Robben took the kick and found the back of the net to give the Lady Indians the 1-0 golden goal victory.

Hays improves to 4-1 on the season and 1-0 in WAC. They will be back home on Thursday to host Liberal with a 4pm start at Hays High.

HHS baseball sweeps Washburn Rural

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HAYS, Kan. – The Hays High baseball team rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Monday night to beat Washburn Rural 5-4 to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Junior Blues at the Hays High Field. The Indians won the first game 8-1.

The Indians (6-0) trailed 4-1 in the second game until Cody Petersen’s two-run homer pulled them within a run. They tied the game on a Trey Riggs single which scored Dominic Bainter. Hays took the lead for good on Dylan Dreiling’s grounder to second which scored Palmer Hutchison.

Dominic Bainter pitched an inning of relief for the win. Dreiling pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the save.

Trey Riggs threw a complete game four hitter in the first game. He struck out four with one walk. Palmer Hutchison had three hits including a home run and a double and drove in two. Dylan Dreiling also homered and hit a double. Hutchison and Riggs both drove in two runs.

Hays High begins Western Athletic Conference play Friday in Garden City.

Tiger softball splits with RiverHawks

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HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball split a pair of MIAA games with Northeastern State on Monday at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers held on for a 4-3 win in the first game before falling by a score of 9-4 in the second contest. FHSU is now 13-12 overall, 6-4 in the MIAA, while NSU moved to 20-13 overall, 8-2 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 4, Northeastern State 3
Fort Hays State rallied twice for the lead and then held on late for a 4-3 win. Trailing NSU 1-0 after an inning, FHSU scored twice in the third to take the lead for the first time, 2-1. NSU took the lead back, 3-2, with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, but FHSU answered with a pair in the bottom half to create the final advantage of 4-3.

The Tigers tied the game in the third at 1-1 when Jeni Mohr and Katie Adler used some crafty baserunning after the RiverHawks recorded an out at second base. Adler, who put the ball in play, rounded first base after she was easily safe at first. The pitcher tried to make a play on her at second, but Mohr came in to score from third base, getting in under a tag. Grace Philop then drove in Adler from second with an RBI single up the middle.

Northeastern State tied the game with a two-out RBI single in the fifth by Alyssia Crick, she moved up to second on the throw home and then a muffed throw allowed her to move to third. She then came in to score on an RBI single by Madison Boyd as NSU took the lead back with an unearned run.

Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger, who all finished with two hits in the game, rallied the Tigers back in the bottom of the fifth with three straight singles. Boxberger’s RBI single to right field tied the game. Elise Capra followed with a sacrifice fly RBI to center field, putting the Tigers back in front for good even though they had to get through a pair of high-stress situations in the sixth and seventh.

A pair of walks by NSU to open the sixth led to runners at second and third with just one out. Hailey Chapman relieved starter Michaelanne Nelson after the pair of walks and got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts. In the seventh, Chapman worked around a single and then a fielding error that put runners at first and second. She got a foul pop up to end the game.

Nelson moved to 5-6 with the win, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. She struck out five. Chapman picked up a two-inning save, striking out three with one hit allowed. It was her first save of the season. Gail Young took the loss for NSU, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits with a strikeout in her complete-game effort.

Game 2: Northeastern State 9, Fort Hays State 4
Northeastern State reversed roles in the second game, earning a comeback win after falling down early 2-0. NSU plated runs in five straight innings, from the second through sixth, to earn the split.

FHSU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, set up on back-to-back singles by Katie Adler and Grace Philop. Sara Breckbill brought in Adler on a sacrifice fly RBI, then Bailey Boxberger had an RBI single up the middle.

The RiverHawks benefitted from an error in the second to get the game tied. After a leadoff single eventually turned into a run, an error helped extend the inning and Alyssia Crick tied the game with an RBI single. Another error in the third led to two of three runs in the inning being unearned as NSU took a 5-2 lead.

The Tigers got two of the runs back in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Breckbill and then a run scoring on a throwing error by the RiverHawks, reducing the lead to 5-4. However, that was as close as they would get as a solo homer in the fourth and RBI single in the fifth pushed the lead back out to three for NSU. The RiverHawks added on a pair of runs in the sixth to create even more distance.

Northeastern State starter Sydney Balderrama settled in after allowing four runs (three earned) in the first three innings. She retired the final 12 Tiger batters of the game, going flawless over the fourth through seventh innings in a complete-game win. She allowed six hits and struck out four.

Hailey Chapman allowed six runs (three earned) in four innings pitched. She surrendered eight hits and walked one, while striking out four. Michaelanne Nelson allowed three runs in three innings of relief, giving up four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Tiger Notes
-Katie Adler, Grace Philop, Sara Breckbill, and Bailey Boxberger all had three hits on the day.
-FHSU pitchers Michaelanne Nelson and Hailey Chapman combined for 16 strikeouts over 14 innings.
-FHSU is 6-2 at home this year. The Tigers are 4-2 at home in MIAA play so far.
-FHSU is currently tied for fifth in the MIAA standings.

Up Next
Fort Hays State hosts No. 2 ranked Central Oklahoma in another MIAA doubleheader on Tuesday (Apr. 2). The Bronchos are 10-0 in MIAA play so far and 28-2 overall.

Baseball falters in series finale with Lindenwood

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HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to overcome seven errors in Monday’s series finale with Lindenwood, falling to the Lions 11-5 at Larks Park. The Tigers move to 3-24 overall and 2-16 in MIAA play while the Lions improve to 17-15 on the year and 11-7 in conference action.

Jerod Goodale Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Taylan Mullins-Ohm crushed his second home run of the season, sending an 0-1 pitch sailing over the fence in left center. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lindenwood pushed across five runs, including three unearned runs, over the next two frames to take a 5-1 lead through three innings.

Fort Hays State hitters had trouble solving Blake Beckmann (2-3), the Lions starting pitcher. Beckmann struck out 11 Tigers over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win.

The Tigers struck for three more runs in Beckmann’s final frame, but not after Lindenwood added four runs in the top of the sixth. After Landon Erway beat out a bloop single with a headfirst slide into first and Mullins-Ohm worked a walk, the pair came around to score after multiple wild pitches. Tyler Olson pulled the Tigers within 9-4 later in the inning when he belted his first home run as a Tiger to deep left center.

Lindenwood padded the lead to six with a run in the top of the seventh before FHSU tacked on one more in the home half of the eighth. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Erway, Mullins-Ohm and Ryan Grasser loaded up the bases to get the Tigers in business. But Lindenwood’s Michael Cessna, who earned his fourth save, got back in control thanks to a big double play that scored Erway. The reliever escaped the inning without further damage after striking out the next hitter.

Erway finished 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot while scoring two runs. Mullins-Ohm was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Catcher Dawson Sramek recorded his third multi-hit game of the season after finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Cody Rottinghaus (1-3) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs (six earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over 5.2 innings on the mound. Jake Taylor finished things off out of the pen, giving up a pair of runs on four hits while striking out one over 3.1 innings of work.

The Tigers are schedule to hit the road again next week when they travel to Maryville, Mo. for a three-game set with Northwest Missouri State. The series begins with a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday.

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