FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State baseball team rallied past ninth-ranked Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon at Larks Park, 11-7. The Tigers (10-24, 7-17 MIAA) trailed 7-5 in the eighth inning before plating six runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good.
The Gorillas (28-7, 17-7 MIAA) took advantage of a pair of walks in the top of the first, scoring two runs. The Tigers answered right back, taking their first lead of the weekend with a quick rally. Antonio Avila led off with a single, extending his hitting streak to 18 games which is the longest by a Tiger since 2015 (21 games, Kevin Czarnecki).
Cooper Howell followed with a perfectly placed bunt down the first-base line before Mac Bowie worked a walk, loading the bases. Derek Woolwine followed with a game-tying double to left center before Bowie came in to score on a groundout from Dylan Salcido, putting the home team in front 3-2.
Pittsburg State answered right back with a run on two doubles in the second, but Tiger starter Aaron Boutz settled in after that, posting three-straight scoreless innings to keep the game close. The Gorillas had runners on the corners in the third but the final out was recorded on an attempted first-and-third delayed steal before Boutz got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth with his third strikeout of the inning.
The Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Tytin Goebel led off with a solo home run to right, putting his team up 4-3. Howell later led off the fifth with a walk before sprinting home on a Salcido double to straightaway center field.
After Boutz allowed a one-out single to start his fourth time through the order, FHSU brought in Brandon Chavez. The junior promptly got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts, the first of nine for the Laramie, Wyo. native.
Pittsburg State tied the score with two in the seventh and took the lead with two in the eighth, but Chavez was able to limit the damage thanks to three strikeouts in the seventh and two in the eighth.
Trailing 7-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Goebel led off with a single down the left-field line before moving up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt. FHSU then had seven hitters reach safely in a row, leading to a big six-run inning.
A walk to Tyson Jimenez and another Avila single loaded the bases for Howell, who came through in the clutch with a go-ahead, bases-clearing double into the left field corner. Bowie kept things rolling with his second home run in as many days before Salcido connected with a two-run shot for his third home run of the season, quickly building the Tigers an 11-7 lead.
The Gorillas tried to rally in the ninth, with the leadoff hitter reaching on a single and another Gorilla reaching two batters later on an error. But two more Chavez strikeouts and one final flyout to center field helped FHSU seal the win.
Boutz put together his longest outing of the season, allowing three runs on seven hits across 5.1 innings of work while striking out five Gorillas. Chavez (2-1) earned the win after allowing four runs on five hits in 3.2 innings of relief, striking out nine. Boutz and Chavez combined to strike out 14 Gorillas, tied for their most punchouts in a game this season. And a day after PSU clubbed nine home runs, the duo held the Gorillas without a long ball on Saturday.
Seven different Tigers collected at least one hit on the day, including five with multi-hit games. Salcido drove in four RBI and reached base four times with a home run, a double and two walks.
Fort Hays State will continue an 11-game homestand on Tuesday when they host Emporia State in a midweek matchup beginning at 3 p.m.