FHSU Athletics
JOPLIN, Mo. - The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped its series opener against Missouri Southern Friday at Warren Turner Field, losing 11-10. The Tigers (9-16, 6-9 MIAA) rallied from a 5-0 deficit to take an 8-5 lead before the Lions (14-10, 9-5 MIAA) scored six runs in the final four innings to secure the win.
A pair of two-run home runs helped the home team take a 5-0 lead by the end of the second inning before Karter Beving came out of the bullpen to tame the Lions, holding them to one run on five hits over 3 1/3 innings of relief.
After collecting just one hit the first time through the lineup, the Tigers broke through in the top of the fourth when Antonio Avila led off with a single. Cooper Howell followed with a one-out single before Tytin Goebel plated the first FHSU run with a groundout. Erick Ordonez then came through with a two-out triple, plating Howell before Justin Lipka and Mac Bowie rattled off back-to-back RBI singles, helping the Tigers pull within 5-4.
Leading off for the second inning in a row, Avila hit a game-tying home run to start the fifth before Ordonez started a sixth-inning rally with a single. Lipka gave the Tigers the lead with another single before Bowie hit his second home run of the season, putting FHSU up 8-5.
The Lions punched right back with four runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth, including two home runs to retake the lead, 9-8. The Tigers had two runners on base with one out in the top of the seventh but were unable to score before the home team used another two-run home run to push its lead to three, 11-8.
Lipka helped the Tigers pull within two with a leadoff double in the eighth before Tyson Jimenez drove him in with a single, but the Lions escaped the inning without any further damage following two flyouts. Ordonez kept the Tigers alive with a two-out solo home run in the ninth, but the Lions slammed the door with a strikeout to secure the win.
Ordonez, Avila and Lipka all had three hits each, with Bowie collecting two hits and driving in a trio of runs. Dylan Salcido (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs on three hits with one strikeout.
The Tigers and Lions will continue their series Saturday (March 21) with another 1 p.m. first pitch.