FHSU Athletics
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – In a battle for the series, Fort Hays State came up short against No. 3 Central Missouri, falling 11-4 in the rubber match on Sunday (March 30) at Crane Stadium. After splitting the first two games, the Tigers looked to secure a statement road win but were unable to overcome an early deficit as the Mules pulled away late.
Things unraveled quickly for the Tigers in the opening frames, as Central Missouri wasted no time jumping on Fort Hays State's Trevor Bauer. The Mules plated a run in the first after a leadoff single and a stolen base set the table for an RBI double down the left-field line. Bauer worked out of further trouble in the inning but ran into major issues in the second. A leadoff walk and a hit-by-pitch put two runners aboard before UCM strung together four consecutive hits, including a bases-clearing triple from Dayvin Johnson, to break the game open at 5-0.
Fort Hays battled back in the fourth when Trey DeGarmo delivered a two-run homer, putting the Tigers on the board and cutting the deficit to 5-2. After a quiet fifth and sixth, FHSU continued to fight in the seventh, stringing together three hits to push two more runs across. RBI singles from Elliott Herrmann and Cooper Howell trimmed the gap to 6-4, giving the Tigers momentum heading into the late innings.
Central Missouri was able to respond in the bottom of the seventh with a key insurance run before erupting for four more in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Dayvin Johnson and Grant Hollister led the charge for the Mules, each driving in multiple runs to help secure the series win.
Tony Moore paced the Fort Hays offense with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, while DeGarmo added two hits, two RBIs, and his team leading 10th home run of the season. On the mound, Brett Jacobs provided a strong relief outing, working 5.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs to keep the Tigers within striking distance.
Despite the loss, Fort Hays State (21-8, 16-4 MIAA) still sits atop the conference standings with a slight edge over Central Missouri (23-7, 14-4 MIAA). The Tigers return home Tuesday to face Washburn then will play a three game series against UC-Colorado Springs this next weekend.