HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State baseball team rallied from 6-1 down to get the tying run 90 feet away in the ninth inning Saturday, but Central Oklahoma held on for the 6-5 win after back-to-back strikeouts closed things out. The Tigers (3-21, 2-10 MIAA) scored the final four runs in the game, but six Broncho (13-10, 7-5 MIAA) runs over the first four innings proved to be just enough.
Central Oklahoma scored a pair of two-out runs in the top of the first before the Tigers cut the deficit in half in the home half. A solid single from Ed Scott followed walks to Jenner Kehe and Brady Kreutzer, loading the bases with no outs. Grant Schmidt came through with a sacrifice fly to center, plating Kehe, but the Bronchos got out of the jam with a strikeout, batter interference double play.
Tiger starter Hunter Parker (0-5) retired the side in order in the second before the Bronchos put together another two-out rally in the third, scoring two more runs on three hits. UCO tacked on another two-spot in the fourth, pushing the lead to 6-1.
Fort Hays State answered right back, scoring two runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth. Scott reached on an error to lead things off before Broncho starter Tucker Elliott (2-1) walked four consecutive batters, making the score 6-3. But Elliott finally got out of the jam with a strikeout and a double play ball to short.
Parker worked around a hit in the fifth before Zach Berg came on to pitch in the sixth. The reliver tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two batters to give the Tigers the chance to complete the comeback.
The Tigers scored one final run off Elliott in the fifth when Kehe worked his second walk of the game. The speedy second baseman took second on a wild pitch before advancing to third on a fly ball to right. He later scored on a wild pitch, helping the Tigers close within 6-4.
Central Oklahoma went to the bullpen in the sixth, with the Tigers stranding runners on the corners before going down in order in the seventh against A.J. Ozorio-Brace. Fort Hays State closed within one in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run from Schmidt, the senior's team-best seventh home run of the season. The Hastings, Neb. native swung at the first pitch thrown by reliever Beaux Bonvillain, sending a no-doubter sailing over the wall in dead center.
Kade Wallace followed with a single, but the hard-throwing lefty got out of the inning with a pop up, a strikeout and a ground out.
After Berg retired the final six batters he faced, pinch hitter Cade Flaherty opened the bottom of the ninth with a base knock to left off UCO closer Kyler Patterson. Kehe followed with a single to center, putting the winning run on base with zero outs. Pinch runner Dylan Hupfer advanced to third on a hard-hit flyout from Kreutzer before Patterson locked down his fifth save of the season with back-to-back strikeouts.
Parker struck out three batters across 5.0 innings of work, giving up six runs on seven hits and four walks. Schmidt scored two runs and drove in two more, while Wallace (2-for-3) was the lone Tiger with multiple hits.
The Tigers and Bronchos will meet up in the series finale Sunday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. at Larks Park.