FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State baseball team rallied from an early deficit only to fall in extra innings, 7-5 to Emporia State on Saturday at Larks Park. The Tigers (23-21, 10-19 MIAA) tied the score twice in the final two innings thanks to a two-run home run eighth inning home run from Jose Cintron. Luis Ayala scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, but the Hornets (19-26, 9-20 MIAA) scored twice in the 10th inning.
Tiger starter Rafael Espinoza was shaky out of the gate, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in the first inning then surrendered a solo home run in the top of the second. The redshirt-freshman quickly found his groove, scattering four hits over the next 5 1/3 innings.
Fort Hays State left two men on base in each of the first two innings before Isaiah Ural trimmed the deficit to 3-1 with a solo home run to left center. ESU's Graham Brunner retired the next nine batters he faced before Elliott Herrmann made the score 3-2 with a line-drive missile that cleared the fence in left field for the first baseman's 14th home run of the season.
A one-out hit-by-pitch helped Emporia State manufacture a run on a double steal in the top of the eighth, stretching the lead to 4-2, before the Tigers tied things up in the home half of the inning. Brady Kreutzer reached on an infield single, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. Cintron later stepped to the plate with two outs and turned on a 1-2 pitch, crushing his second home run of the weekend over the wall in left to tie the score at four.
The Hornets took advantage of a walk in the top of the ninth, later scoring on a single to regain the lead, 5-4. Luis Ayala led off the ninth with a two hopper to third base, where the Hornet defender dropped the ball as he tried to throw across the diamond. Ayala moved up 90 feet on a Sebastian Burgos sacrifice bunt before Ural lifted a two-out base hit to left, putting runners on the corners. Ayala then scampered home on a wild pitch, leveling the score at five before ESU got out of the inning to send things to extras.
Three walks, two wild pitches, one passed ball and one double helped Emporia State scrape together a pair of runs in the 10th. Kreutzer then led off the bottom of the inning with his second infield single of the game, but Hornet reliever Trent Wartsler finished off the win by retiring the next three batters in order.
Espinoza worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four batters. Dylan Rinker got the Tigers out of the eighth inning, walking one and allowing one hit in 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Landyn Sterling worked the ninth, striking out two and allowing one run on one hit and one walk. Tanner Vaughn (3-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one batter. Spencer Maley finished the 10th, striking out two batters and walking one.
Ural, Kreutzer and Cintron all had two hits each, while five different Tigers came around to score a run.
UP NEXT
The Tigers and Hornets will battle in the rubber game of the series Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. at Larks Park.