FHSU Athletics
LAS VEGAS, N.M. - The Fort Hays State baseball team secured a series win over New Mexico Highlands after picking up a doubleheader sweep on Saturday (Feb. 11), winning 22-1 and 8-5. The offense continued to shine as the Tigers scored 30 runs on the day, while the pitching staff scattered six hits across 12 frames of work. FHSU is now 5-3 on the year, while the Cowboys dip to 1-7 through two weeks of action.
Before opening conference play at the end of the month, the Tigers will play another former RMAC rival in Regis next weekend (Feb. 17-19). The series is slated for one game on Friday, two games on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
Game 1 - Fort Hays State 22, New Mexico Highlands 1
The Tigers took the lead in the first frame with a two-out rally after Isaiah Ural clubbed a two-run double down the right-field line. The center fielder came around to score on a passed ball and a throwing error. The Tigers doubled the lead in the third after Brady Kreutzer tripled to lead things off. The Hays native completed his trip around the bases two batters later following a double from Trey DeGarmo.
Before the Tigers blew the game wide open in the fifth, a masterful performance on the mound from Nate Pitts (1-0) kept the Tigers in front. The true freshman retired 10-straight batters at one point, surrendering one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters in 4.1 innings of work.
The Tiger offense got to work in the fifth, scoring 10 runs on as many hits. A single from Ed Scott brought home Kreutzer who doubled to lead off the inning. DeGarmo singled through the right side to bring home Scott before a bases-loaded single from Emile Boies plated two more runs. Mikey Felton collected his first hit of the contest on a 2-RBI single before Zach Davis sent his second home run of the series into orbit. A groundout by Scott and an RBI single from Herrmann scored the final two runs of the frame for the Tigers.
After the Cowboys got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers put up another huge frame on offense. Felton would drive home Zane Knox on a single to right field which was biffed by the right fielder, advancing Felton all the way to third. A Kreutzer single made the lead 14-1 before a two-out rally brought across five runs. A base clearing double by Ural followed by a two-run shot from Herrmann pushed the Tiger lead to 17 before an RBI double from Knox pushed the lead to 19-1.
A walk to DeGarmo in the seventh set up the final three runs of the game for the Tigers. A single by Ural drove in DeGarmo before Herrmann doubled to left to bring home Ural. Knox singled to right to plate Herrmann for the final run of the game.
Nate Whitehill and Trip Davis combined for scoreless 2.2 innings of relief while not allowing a single hit. Each reliever punched out a pair at the plate.
Ural and Kreutzer each collected four hits and scored four runs while Herrmann went 3-for-5 at the plate with a team-high five RBI.
Game 2 - Fort Hays State 8, New Mexico Highlands 5 (5 innings)
The Cowboys got on the board first in the opening frame with a two-run homerun, but the Tigers took the lead for good in the second with four runs on three hits. The first Tiger run scored on an RBI single from Ridge Stephens before a pair of walks loaded the bases. Ural drove in the tying run after he was hit by a pitch before Herrmann drove in a pair on a double into the right-center gap.
The Cowboys trimmed the Tiger lead to one by scoring a wild pitch in the third, but an RBI ground out from Herrmann and an RBI triple from Boies plated two more runs for the Tigers in the fourth. NMHU plated another run in the home half on a passed ball. The Tigers scored their final two runs on a double from Ural that toed the left field line. Trailing 8-4, the Cowboys got the tying run on base after two walks, one hit-by-pitch and one single. With daylight quickly fading, Bois came in to pitch and record the final out via strikeout.
Ural and Herrmann both drove in three runs on two hits, while DeGarmo crossed the plate a team-high thre times. Austin Puett allowed three runs on two hits over 2.0 innings in his Tiger debut before Zach Berg (2-1) struck out six batters in 2.2 innings of relief. The senior surrendered two runs (one earned) on just one hit.