FHSU Athletics
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team saw their season end in a 13-11 loss to No. 4 Central Missouri on Sunday at Crane Stadium/Tomkins Field. The Tigers rallied from 6-1 first inning deficit to take a one-run lead in the ninth before the Mules walked it off in the home half to secure the outright MIAA regular season title.
The Mules finished the regular season 36-13 overall and 27-6 in the MIAA while the Tigers wrapped up their much improved season 20-30 overall and 10-23 in the conference.
The Tigers got on the board in the opening frame with an RBI double from Emile Boies that drove in Ed Scott, who had reached on a leadoff walk. The Mules would answer with a six-run bottom of the inning. Cade Flaherty started the game on the mound for the Tigers, but was unable to retire the first six batters he faced. Nate Pitts took over and limited further damage as he forced a couple of fielder's choices before Mikey
Felton caught a runner stealing to end the inning. The Tigers manufactured a pair of runs in the third to cut into the lead as Isaiah Ural singled back to the mound bouncing the ball off of the rubber into shallow left field allowing him to reach second and Joel Nieves to cross the plate. A passed ball moved Ural to third before a sacrifice fly from Boies brought him home.
Pitts retired nine of the first ten batters he faced holding the Mules in place until the fourth inning when they tallied three runs on five hits extending their lead to 9-3. The Tigers responded with a two-run home run by Scott that flew over the center field wall. UCM got one of those runs back in the sixth with a solo shot to go up 10-5. The Tigers crept within three runs in the seventh as Scott crushed his second home run of the game over the wall in center. Pitts managed to capture the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Jenner Kehe emerged from the bullpen to get the final out.
The Tigers tied the game in the eighth with a pair of home runs from Elliott Herrmann and Zach Davis. Herrmann slapped a two-run bomb to dead center before Davis plated the tying run with a solo shot over the wall in right center. Kehe retired the first two batters in the home half before a double put a runner in scoring position for the Mules. Boies took over on the mound and forced the final out. Boies kept the momentum going as he batted in the run the put the Tigers ahead with a two-out single up the middle. The Mules found themselves trailing 11-10 with runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Carter Young turned on a 2-2 pitch and lifted it over the left center wall for a walk off three-run home run.
Pitts allowed four runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings pitched while walking three batters and striking out one. Kehe retired three out of the four batters he faced in one full frame on the mound and Boies (0-1) gave up two hits in his inning of work with one strikeout.
Scott, Boies, and Nieves each collected a pair of hits in the contest. Scott finished with four RBI and scored three runs.