FHSU Athletics
TOPEKA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball improved to 6-4 overall on the season with a pair of wins at the Washburn Invitational on Monday. The Tigers defeated Maryville University 5-3 and then Minnesota Crookston 9-1. FHSU did not surrender any earned runs on the day. The Tigers are 3-1 so far at the event and play two more on Tuesday.
Fort Hays State 5, Maryville 3
The Tigers had a come-from-behind win in their first contest of the day. Maryville took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, but the Tigers immediately rallied past with three runs in the fourth. They added a pair in the sixth to go up 5-2 and then allowed just one more in the bottom half of the inning.
Savanah Egger threw another complete game for the Tigers, fresh off her career-high 14 strikeout performance on Sunday. She finished with five strikeouts and scattered six hits in the win. All three of the runs scored against her were unearned due to Tiger errors before runs scored in third and sixth. She moved to 3-2 overall on the season.
In the fourth inning, Audrey Gillespie started the Tiger rally with a leadoff double. Madison Pierce followed with an RBI single to cut the Maryville lead in half. A throwing error allowed the Tigers to score a second to tie the game and Taylor Fitzgerald added an RBI single to put the Tigers on top. A Lexi Mohr single and another Maryville error in the sixth led to a two-RBI double by Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson, putting the Tigers up three before they went on to win by two.
Eight different Tigers recorded one hit in the game. Five of the eight hits were doubles. Mercedes Delgado took the loss for Maryville, throwing 3.1 innings with three runs allowed. Reliever Cora Boyle surrendered two runs.
Fort Hays State 9, Minnesota Crookston 1 (6 inn.)
A big five-run third inning helped Fort Hays State run away with a run-rule win in six innings over Minnesota Crookston. The Tigers never trailed, scoring one in the first, five in the third, two in the fifth, and then one in the sixth to win in walk-off fashion.
A dropped fly ball in the first inning allowed the Tigers to score a run with two outs. In the third, a Jules Bosco double and Audrey Gillespie single set up a run of RBI chances. Madison Pierce plated the first run with a single, Lexi Mohr doubled home a run, Taylor Fitzgerald had an RBI single, Mohr scored on a passed ball, and Emily Mayer had a sac fly RBI to make it 6-0 in favor of the Tigers.
After the Golden Eagles picked up their only run of the game, benefitting from a Tiger error in the inning, the Tigers added three more to force the run rule. Abbey Duarte recorded an RBI double in the sixth and Fitzgerald came in to score on a throw that caught a Tiger runner trying to steal second. Mohr had the game-ending hit, an RBI single in the sixth.
Morgan Schmidt went the distance for the Tigers, throwing six innings. She allowed five hits and two walks, while striking out seven. She moved to 3-2 on the season.
Riley Blake took the loss for UMC, throwing just one inning with one run allowed. Three other UMC pitchers were used in the contest.
UP NEXT
Fort Hays State will take on Northern State (10 a.m.) and Minot State (2 p.m.) on Tuesday to wrap up their tournament schedule.