FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Baseball fell twice on Saturday (Feb. 28) to Rogers State at Larks Park in Hays. The Hillcats took the final two games of the three-game series 11-3 and 7-4. The Hillcats moved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA, while the Tigers moved to 4-12 overall and 1-6 in the MIAA.
Rogers State 11, Fort Hays State 3
The first contest of the day was a pitcher's duel early with Cody Bruss of FHSU going against Dillon Dibrell of RSU. Both allowed just one run through the first four innings. RSU scored the first run in the top of the third and FHSU matched it in the bottom half on a Derek Woolwine solo home run.
An RBI single and two-run homer put the Hillcats up 4-1 in the top of the fifth, but the Tigers cut the lead to 4-2 with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a Tyson Jimenez RBI.
The Hillcats started to run away with the game late, scoring once in both the sixth and seventh, three times in the eighth, and then twice in the ninth. The Tigers picked up their final run in the ninth on an Antonio Avila RBI.
Bruss threw 6.0 innings for FHSU and had three strikeouts with six runs allowed. Dylan Salcido pitched 1.2 innings and allowed three runs. Burke Sharpsteen went the final 1.1 innings and allowed two runs.
Dibrell matched Bruss in innings pitched, allowing two runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in his start. Ricardo Landeros earned a 3-inning save, not allowing a hit and striking out two.
Rogers State 7, Fort Hays State 4
The second contest was a pitching battle again in the early stages with Tucker Russell of FHSU facing Spencer Hatch of RSU. Hatch did not allow a hit through the first 4.2 innings, while Russell allowed just two runs on four hits through the first five innings.
Antonio Avila picked up the first hit for the Tigers in the fifth with a two-out RBI single, cutting Rogers State's lead in half at 2-1.
The Hillcats scored three times in the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of Tiger miscues. However, the Tigers bounced back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning with a Tony Moore solo home run and a Tytin Goebel RBI single. RSU led 5-3 through six frames.
The teams traded runs in the seventh as Justin Lipka picked up an RBI for the Tigers. The Hillcats added their final run in the top of the ninth.
Russell threw 6.1 innings for FHSU and struck out four. Three of the six runs he allowed were earned. Caleb Camp threw the final 2.2 innings and struck out two with one run allowed.
Hatch allowed just one hit and struck out eight in his start that went just 5.0 innings. Cole Abbott bridged the gap to Michael Klein, who had a 2.0 inning save for the Hillcats. Abbott struck out two in 2.0 innings, and Klein also had two strikeouts.
The Tigers will be at home again next weekend (Mar. 6-8) for a three-game series with Arkansas-Fort Smith.