FHSU Athletics
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team claimed the series opener over Missouri Western 15-2 on Friday (April 14). After nearly a two-hour delay due to weather, the Tigers only needed seven innings to secure the opener. The Tigers improved to 18-24 overall and 8-17 in the MIAA while the Griffons fall to 9-28 overall and 6-19 in conference action.
The Tigers took advantage of a handful of free trips in the opening frame as Isaiah Ural and Emile Boies drew back-to-back walks before Elliott Herrman reached on a fielder's choice that was mishandled by the third baseman loading the bases. Trey DeGarmo drew the third walk of the inning allowing Ural to cross the plate. Tiger starter Zach Berg found himself in trouble in the home half as he allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base. With runners on second and third and one out, Berg was able to escape the inning with a fly out and a strikeout.
The Tigers tacked onto their lead in the second as Colter Maldonado and Ed Scott reached on singles before Ural brought them both home on a triple to right center. In the third, Zane Knox hit a triple of his own before an RBI single from Jenner Kehe as well as an errant throw on the play brought him across pushing the Tiger lead to 4-0. The Griffons trimmed the Tiger lead in the bottom of the inning with a two RBI double.
FHSU got one run back in the fourth after an RBI double from DeGarmo plated Boies, who reached earlier on a fielding error by MWSU. Kehe opened the scoring the fifth with a single through the left side before executing some outstanding baserunning and scoring on a bunt single by Maldonado. Ed Scott doubled to left center putting a pair of runner's in scoring position. Ural plated the first run on a groundout up the middle before Boies stepped up and slammed a two-run shot over the right field wall on the first pitch boosting the Tiger lead to 9-2.
The Tigers continued the scoring in the sixth as DeGarmo reached on a single before a throwing error by the pitcher on a bunt from Knox allowed them to move into scoring position. A ground out from Kehe and a sacrifice fly from Mikey Felton pushed two more runs across. Free bases benefited the Tigers once again in the seventh as Ural drew a leadoff walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Herrmann drove in Ural to give the Tigers enough for the run-rule, but it didn't stop there as a DeGarmo single and Knox getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases for Felton with two outs. The senior catcher drove a ball deep into the gap clearing the bases increasing the FHSU lead to 15-2.
Berg (4-4) tossed his first complete outing of the year, the second straight complete game by a Tiger pitcher after Daniel Bebee's performance against Newman on Tuesday. Berg became the fourth pitcher to go the distance for the Tigers this season tallying the sixth complete game for the team this season. The Parker, Colo. native went seven frames allowing two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out three batters.
Every Tiger that stepped up to the plate collected a hit in the victory including multi-hit games from six of the nine batters. Felton finished 2-for-4 with four RBI while Ural went 1-for-3 and batted in three runs while drawing a pair of walks.
The series will resume tomorrow (April 15) with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.