FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State baseball team picked up a pair of walk-off wins over Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at Larks Park. The Tigers won game one, 3-2, on a walk-off single from Justin Lipka before taking game two, 6-5, thanks to a walk-off base hit from Isaiah Ural.
Fort Hays State improves to 16-6 on the year and 4-4 in MIAA play, while the RiverHawks are now 10-12 overall and 1-7 in conference action.
The Tigers will look to complete the sweep Sunday afternoon when the teams battle in the series finale beginning at noon.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 3, Northeastern State 2
The first contest of the day was an old-fashioned pitchers' duel, with the teams combining for seven hits in the contest. Tiger starter Ty Riley worked six innings, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out nine batters. NSU starter CJ Briley went five strong, giving up two runs on two hits while also striking out five batters.
Riley was dealing out of the gates, tossing 4.1 hitless innings before the RiverHawks finally managed a base hit in the fifth. Fort Hays State had chances to score on offense, leaving a pair of runners on base in the first and second innings before breaking through in the third on an opposite-field home run from Elliott Herrmann.
The RiverHawks tied things up with a solo home run of their own in the top of the fifth before Herrmann crushed a line-drive shot over the wall in left center for his second home run of the game and his team-leading seventh of the year, putting FHSU back up 2-1.
Riley worked out of a jam in the sixth, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position to preserve the lead until NSU managed another solo home run to lead off the seventh.
Fort Hays State then went to the bullpen, bringing in Tanner Vaughn. The righty proceeded to face the minimum over the next three innings, allowing one baserunner to reach on an error before he was eventually retired on a double play. Vaughn (3-0) struck out four batters in his 3.0 innings of work without giving up a hit or walk.
NSU also saw success out of the bullpen in Christian Johnson, who retired the first nine batters he faced before Ural led off the ninth with a double to left center. The center fielder moved up 90 feet on a deep fly ball from pinch hitter Zane Knox before Lipka pulled a sharp grounder down the third-base line. The RiverHawk defender was unable to make the difficult play, allowing Ural to cross the plate and seal the walk-off win.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 6, Northeastern State 5
Both teams got the bats going in the nightcap, with NSU rattling off 14 hits and the Tigers collecting nine base knocks. Fort Hays State led early, scoring three in the first two innings, before the RiverHawks took their first lead of the weekend in the sixth. The Tigers rallied, scoring single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth to complete the sweep.
Tiger starter Cade Flaherty worked around a single to post a scoreless first inning before Brady Kreutzer led off the bottom of the first with a single. Ural followed with triple to right center, driving in the first run of the game. Ural later came in to score on a ground ball from Herrmann, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The RiverHawks manufactured a run in the second with a pair of sacrifice bunts before Cesas Saavedra led off the bottom of the inning with a solo home run to left center, his first long ball as a Tiger.
NSU pitcher CD White settled in after the home run, retiring 15 of the next 16 batters, with the lone Tiger to reach base during that stretch doing so on an error. The RiverHawks took advantage of White's pitching, plating one run in the fifth, two in the sixth and another in the seventh to build a 5-3 lead.
Fort Hays State began to chip away after the seventh-inning stretch when Knox led off with a single to right. The designated hitter moved up 90 feet on a failed pickoff throw from the catcher before later coming in to score on an RBI groundout from pinch hitter Kyle Morrell.
After reliever Dylan Rinker allowed one run on a solo home run in the seventh and later got out of the inning without any further damage by leaving the bases loaded, the junior clamped down the rest of the way. He allowed one single to lead off the eighth, but Lipka promptly gunned down a would-be base stealer to clear the bases. Rinker then retired the last five NSU batters of the game, giving the Tigers the chance to rally.
Fort Hays State tied things up in the bottom of the eighth when Brady Kreutzer led off with an infield single. The Hays native moved up on a sacrifice bunt before Herrmann drove him in with a single through the left side, tying the score at 5-5.
Down to their final out and with extra innings looming, Kreutzer nearly ended things with a walk-off home run that instead bounced off the top of the wall, allowing for a stand-up triple. Ural then came through with the game-winning hit, delivering a single to left center. Down in the count 1-2, Ural fought off four foul balls before ending the game on the ninth pitch of his at-bat.
Flaherty allowed four runs (three earned) on 10 hits and zero walks while striking out three batters in 5.2 innings of work. Rinker (4-1) earned the win after striking out four batters in 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits and zero walks.
Kreutzer scored three times in the nightcap, going 3-for-5. Ural and Herrmann both drove in two runs each, with Ural also recording multiple base hits (2-for-4).