FHSU Athletics
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
FORT SMITH, Ark. - The Fort Hays State baseball team opened its conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Sunday, winning 9-3 and 2-1 at Crowder Field. The Tigers are now 7-4 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play, while the Lions dip to 5-6 on the year and 0-2 in league action.
Trey DeGarmo came up huge for the Tigers in game one, going 4-for-6 at the plate with three RBI. Cade Flaherty tossed a gem in the second game, tossing a complete game while matching his career high with 10 strikeouts.
The Tigers and Lions will wrap up their series on Monday (Feb. 24) beginning at 1 p.m. before FHSU returns to Larks Park for three-straight weekend series.
GAME 1: Fort Hays State 9, Arkansas-Fort Smith 3
Fort Hays State set the tone early in the opener, scoring in the top of the first thanks to a two-out rally. After the first two batters of the game struck out, Elliott Herrmann swung at the first pitch he saw and delivered a double to center. Derek Woolwine then worked a walk before DeGarmo came through with an RBI single to center field.
Ty Riley (3-0) also took care of business from the jump, allowing just one hit over the first three innings. The righty's performance gave the Tiger bats a chance to add to its lead in the top of the third. Another two-out rally started when Herrmann was hit by a pitch. Woolwine followed with a single before DeGarmo turned in another RBI single, doubling the Tiger lead.
The home team managed to tie the score in the bottom of the fourth off three hits and a walk, but Fort Hays State answered right back with two more runs in the next half inning. Tony Moore led off with a double before Isiah Ural put runners on the corners with a single. Herrmann was again hit by a pitch in the next plate appearances, loading the bases for Woolwine who drove in one with a single. Another run came in to score when DeGarmo grounded into a double play, putting FHSU up 4-2.
Riley gave up just two more hits over his last two innings of work while striking out three batters in the sixth to end his day with eight strikeouts over 6 innings pitched.
The Tigers kept things rolling down the stretch, adding two runs in the sixth before scoring single runs in each of the last three frames. Moore worked a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to make the score 5-2 before Isaiah Ural lifted a sacrifice fly to center. Cesar Saavedra made the score 7-2 in the top of the seventh with another sacrifice fly before DeGarmo drove in another run in the eighth with an RBI bunt.
Branson Chavez came out of the bullpen in the seventh inning to slam the door and collect his third save, allowing just one run on two hits over 3.0 innings while striking out eight of the 12 batters he faced. Another bases loaded walk to Woolwine gave Fort Hays State its ninth run in the top of the ninth.
DeGarmo collected four hits in the win, while Ural finished 3-of-5 with two runs. Moore, Woolwine and Cooper Howell all had two hits each.
GAME 2: Fort Hays State 2, Arkansas-Fort Smith 1
Moore and Ural led off game two with a pair of singles, but the Tigers were unable to take advantage. Flaherty took to the mound and also worked around a leadoff single to post a scoreless first, but the Lions were able to strike first with a run in the second.
Flaherty settled in after that, retiring nine in a row over the next three frames while allowing no more than one baserunner in any inning the rest of the way. The senior allowed just one run on five hits and three walks while striking out 10 batters over the complete game.
While Flaherty was dealing on the mound, the Tigers were unable to get much going on offense. FHSU did not manage another hit until the sixth and added another in the seventh but were unable to do anything with the baserunners.
The Tigers finally broke through in the eighth when Luis Ayala led off with a single. The catcher moved up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt before coming in to score on a two-out RBI from Moore, leveling the score at one.
The Lions stranded a man on second in the home half of the eighth before Fort Hays State took its first lead of the game in the ninth. Herrmann led off the inning with a double before Woolwine reached on a dropped fly ball, allowing Herrmann to advance to third. The first baseman later scampered home on a wild pitch, scoring an unearned, go-ahead run.
Flaherty sealed the deal by retiring the last six batters he faced, including his 10th punchout for the last out of the game.
Moore had three of FHSU's seven hits in the game, while Herrmann added two hits.