FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. - The Fort Hays State baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Colorado Christian Friday evening at Larks Park, falling in game one 11-5 before rallying for an 11-9 victory in the nightcap. The Tigers (13-28) and Cougars (10-31) will meet up in the rubber game on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.
Colorado Christian 11, Fort Hays State 5
The Cougars took advantage of four Tiger errors, scoring six unearned runs to take the opener. The visitors scored two of those unearned runs in the top of the first before Antonio Avila swung at the first pitch and tripled into left center. Garretson Cook followed with a game-tying home run two batters into the bottom of the inning.
After starter Brandon Chavez struck out the side in the second, CCU took a 3-2 lead with a solo home run in the third. The Tigers again tied things up right away when Mac Bowie worked his way around the bases in unconventional fashion. The designated hitter was hit by a pitch before moving up on a two-out walk to Gehrig Heckathorn. Bowie advanced another 90 feet on a wild pitch before coming in to score on a balk, tying the score at three.
Four more unearned runs gave the visitors the lead for good in the fifth before CCU added three more in the sixth and one in the seventh. A pinch-hit double from Bret Deegan and a wild pitch allowed Alvin Santiago to score a run in the sixth before Bowie drilled a solo home run in the seventh, but the rally was cut short following a game-ending double play.
Chavez (2-3) took the loss despite striking out seven batters in five innings of work, allowing eight hits and seven runs (one earned). Bowie was the lone Tiger with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Fort Hays State 11, Colorado Christian 9
Both teams scored in each of the first three innings, with CCU pushing across two in the first, four in the second and two in the third and FHSU answering with two in each of the first three frames.
Bret Deegan hit his first home run as a Tiger in the first, tying the game at two with a two-run shot to center. Bowie clubbed his second home run of the day in the home half of the second, sending a no-doubter soaring over the scoreboard in right field to pull FHSU within 6-4.
Doubles from Heckathorn and Santiago plated another run in the third before Santiago scored on a wild pitch, making the score 8-6 after three frames. Jaxon Schleper added another Tiger RBI double in the fourth, plating Heckathorn to bring the home team within one.
After CCU scored a ninth run in the fifth, FHSU took its first lead of the day in the bottom of the fifth following a Santiago leadoff double. Two bean balls loaded the bases for Dylan Salcido, who drove in a game-tying, two-RBI single. Cook kept things rolling with a go-ahead, two-RBI single to center, giving the Tigers the lead for good.
Karter Beving (1-2) earned the win after throwing five innings of relief, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out six batters. Deegan, Heckathorn and Santiago all had two hits each, while Salcido reached base three times with a hit and two walks.