FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball pushed its win streak to nine games with a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Missouri State on Sunday afternoon (Mar. 23) at Fleharty Family Field. The Tigers won by scores of 11-3 (5 inn.) and 4-3, moving to 20-6 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA. The Bearcats fell to 12-19 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA. This is the fastest FHSU has reached 20 wins in a season under 11th year head coach Adrian Pilkington.
Fort Hays State 11, Northwest Missouri State 3 (5 inn.)
The Tigers had to fight through some early adversity to get on track in the first game. The Bearcats put a run on the board before the Tigers recorded an out in the first inning as the first four batters reached base. Morgan Schmidt fought through the early struggles to get three straight outs and limit the damage to just two runs. The Tigers would instantly flip the game in their favor in the bottom half of the opening inning.
Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson started a rally with a 1-out double. Madison Pierce walked and Abbey Duarte singled to load the bases. Regan Curry cut the Bearcat lead in half with a sacrifice fly RBI and then Lilly Mohr walked to load the bases again. Lexi Mohr followed with a two-RBI single to put the Tigers up 3-2 and then Paige Thexton delivered an RBI single to make it 4-2 Tigers.
The Tigers kept piling on runs to build a strong lead with two in the second, and one each in the third and fourth to make the lead 8-2. In the second, Ramirez-Johnson doubled home a run and Duarte singled in a run. Lilly Mohr launched a solo homer to left center field in the third and Lexi Mohr had a sacrifice fly RBI in the fourth.
The Bearcats picked up one more run in the fifth on an RBI triple, but the Tigers responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to force the run rule. Jules Bosco scored on a wild pitch and then Curry eventually drove in the game winning runs on a 2-RBI single up the middle.
Schmidt moved to 9-2 overall on the season with the win. She allowed five hits, walked one, and struck out one. NWMSU starter Cassidy Paulson took the loss, now 2-4, allowing the first six runs to FHSU in 2 innings of work. Olivia Moyer allowed three runs in 2.1 innings of relief and Kylee Rockhold allowed two runs in the fifth and did not record an out.
Fort Hays State 4, Northwest Missouri State 3
Fort Hays State never trailed in the second contest, but had NWMSU pull within a run twice in the game. Savanah Egger slammed the door on any hope of a Bearcat comeback by retiring the final seven batters of the game. She threw a complete game with seven strikeouts, moving to 9-4 on the season, while scattering seven hits.
The Tigers only had one RBI in the game and took advantage of Bearcat miscues that produced three of the four runs. The Tigers loaded the bases in the second and Paige Thexton was hit by a pitch to pick up the only FHSU RBI of the game. Later in the inning, she scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0. After NWMSU hit a solo home run in the fourth, the Tigers moved up 4-1 in the bottom of the inning when the Bearcats committed a throwing error with two outs that allowed two runs to score.
A 2-RBI double was the final damage for NWMSU on the scoreboard in the fifth, but Egger worked out of danger to hang on to the lead and went on to close out the game with authority.
Jaydn Streigle took a tough-luck loss for NWMSU, allowing just one earned run. She allowed six hits and struck out four, moving to 3-6 on the season.
UP NEXT
Fort Hays State heads on the road next weekend for conference doubleheaders at Washburn (Fri. Mar. 28) and Emporia State (Sat. Mar. 29).