FHSU Athletics
GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State picked up a doubleheader sweep for the second straight day in its home park, this time defeating Bethany College twice to move to 13-11 overall on the season. The Swedes moved to 7-9. The Tigers won by scores of 7-2 and 8-5. FHSU has now won four games in a row.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 7, Bethany College 2
Bethany took an early advantage in the first contest of the day, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning on a pair of hits. But, the Tigers rallied back for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and went on to win the first game handily by a count of 7-2.
To get the game tied in the first, Peyton Shepard led off with a single, stole a base, then Sarah Tiffany singled and stole a base to put runners at second and third. Two batters later, Loren Beggs tied the game with 2-RBI single. In the third, the Tigers took the lead when a Tiffany single and Beggs walk set up a Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson RBI single.
Shepard extended the lead to 5-2 in the fourth with a 2-run inside the park home run to left center field with the outfielders drawn in a bit on the play. Audrey Gillespie walked in the at bat prior to set up the pair of runs for the Tigers. Carly Stuke pushed the lead to 6-2 in the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo blast over the left field wall. Moments later, a Regan Curry triple down the right field line set up an RBI groundout by Gillespie.
Savannah Egger pitched a complete game for the Tigers, scattering five hits. She struck out seven batters and walked just one, moving to 7-5 on the season. Morgan Pennycuff also threw a complete game for the Swedes. She allowed eight hits and three walks, while striking out three. Shepard and Tiffany both had two hits in the game.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 8, Bethany College 5
Fort Hays State had to outlast Bethany in the second contest of the day after the Swedes tied the game twice. FHSU initially led 2-0 before Bethany tied the game with a pair of runs in the third. After the Tigers immediately took the lead back, Bethany rallied again in the sixth to tie the game at 5-5. FHSU plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth that decided the game. The Tiger offense erupted for 15 hits in the game.
Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson got the Tigers going with a base hit in the second, followed by a walk drawn by Carly Stuke. Audrey Gillespie put the first tally on the board with an RBI double to right field and Regan Curry followed with an RBI sacrifice fly. Three straight hits by the Swedes in the third leveled the score at 2-2, but FHSU moved back in front by two in the bottom half of the inning when Sarah Tiffany and Loren Beggs doubles generated the first run, then Stuke had an RBI single to score Beggs.
Curry added another sacrifice fly RBI for the Tigers in the fifth before Bethany rallied for three runs in the sixth to tie the game again. Three hits in the inning plated the first run, walk drove in another, and a seeing-eye single through the right side tied the game. Coming on in relief, Bailey Carlson was able to slam the door on the Bethany rally with a big strikeout and then weak groundout with the bases loaded.
The Tigers used small ball for their final rally of the game. Peyton Shepard and Tiffany had back-to-back bunt singles and Alondra Dominguez drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Ramirez-Johnson doubled home a run and Stuke followed with another RBI single to make it 8-5. That was plenty for Carlson, who retired the Bethany side in order in the seventh for the win. She moved to 2-1 on the season, working 1.2 innings in relief of Morgan Schmidt who pitched 5.1 innings and struck out eight. Jordyn Stelzig relieved for the Swedes in the sixth and took the loss, allowing the final three runs.
Stuke (3-for-3), Ramirez-Johnson (3-for-4) and Gillespie (3-for-4) all recorded three-hit games for the Tigers, while Shepard, Beggs, and Tiffany all had two.The Tigers will be back in action next week in Hays against Colorado School of Mines.