FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped both games of its doubleheader at Emporia State on Saturday by scores of 4-3 and 6-0. The Hornets were able to pull even with the Tigers in the MIAA standings with the wins. ESU is now 25-15 overall, 7-7 in the MIAA, and FHSU moved to 25-16 overall, also 7-7 in the MIAA.
Game 1: Emporia State 4, Fort Hays State 3
Emporia State initially took a 1-0 lead in the first contest with a pair of hits in the second inning. After a leadoff single, a two-out double by the Hornets produced their run.
Fort Hays State went hitless through four innings, but finally broke through against Sydney Righi in the fifth when Regan Curry led off with a walk. Carly Stuke picked up FHSU's first hit on a single, then Madison Pierce moved the pair up a base with a sacrifice bunt. Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson tied up the game with a sacrifice fly RBI, but the Tigers could not get the potential go-ahead run across.
The Hornets took the lead on a controversial two-out home run in the fifth from Haley Garnett. The drive down the left field line was first ruled foul as it went over the wall. But the third-base umpire changed his call and ruled it fair for a three-run home run, pushing the Hornets in front 4-1.
The Tigers looked as though they were going to get all the way back to even with the Hornets in the seventh, only to see their late rally come up short. A fielding error by the Hornets allowed Curry to reach base to start the inning. Stuke singled to put runners at first and third, then Pierce singled home the Tigers' second run. Ramirez-Johnson really turned up the pressure on the Hornets with a flare single to right field to load the bases. Adysen Burghart drove a ball deep to right field for a sacrifice fly to score Stuke and pinch runner Sydnee Hoffman moved up to third base as well. The Tigers had runners at first and third with one out, prime to score a game-tying run, but Hoffman was cut down at the plate on a weak grounder to the right side. Peyton Shepard extended the Tigers' life with a chopper single to load the bases once again, but on a 2-0 count Sarah Tiffany grounded out to end the game.
Savanah Egger took a loss by the same score for a second day in a row, now 11-7 for the season. She finished with seven strikeouts in her complete-game effort, allowing four hits and two walks. Righi held on for her complete-game win, allowing six hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
Game 2: Emporia State 6, Fort Hays State 0
The Tigers struggled to get much of anything going offensively in the second contest of the day. Errors and miscues early in the game also allowed the Hornets to get an early advantage and never look back.
In the bottom of the first inning, a two-out walk ballooned into the game's first run. After a stolen base, the Tigers committed a pair of errors on an infield chopper that allowed the Hornets to score. The Tigers had an aggressive runner dead to rights at home plate after pitcher Bailey Carlson collected the ball, but the ball jarred loose on the tag of the runner who was easily going to be out at the plate.
In the second, the Hornets put together a two-out rally by loading the bases. A two-RBI single pushed their lead to 3-0 and then a wild pitch brought across their fourth run. Carlson turned the ball over to Morgan Schmidt after just 1.2 innings of work in the circle. Schmidt threw the remaining 4.1 innings for the Tigers. She yielded a pair of runs in the fourth after leadoff triple and walk by the Hornets. Schmidt finished with five strikeouts, while Carlson had a pair. Carlson took the loss, now 9-6 on the season.
The Tigers had just four hits in the game, scattered among four different players. They had hits to lead off the second, third, and fourth innings, but never got a runner past second base.
Gracie Rabe threw the first 6.0 innings for the Hornets, striking out six. Hannah Norquest threw the final inning and recorded one strikeout.
Fort Hays State returns to the road next week for MIAA contests at Central Missouri and Lincoln.