FHSU Athletics
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State overcame an early deficit and relied on a clutch home run from Defek Woolwine along with strong relief pitching from Kaleb Carpenter and Branden Chavez and beat Pittsburg State 5-4 Sunday afternoon at Al Ortolani Field.
Pittsburg State wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first. Alex Rodgers led off with a triple to right-center, putting immediate pressure on Tigers' starter Trevor Baugh. Rickey Sanchez capitalized with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Rodgers to give the Gorillas a 1-0 lead.
Fort Hays State (19-6, 14-2 MIAA), who won two of three in the series, answered in the third inning. After Cooper Howell reached on a single and Cesar Saavedra followed with a hit of his own, a wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position. Trey DeGarmo came through with a single up the middle, plating Saavedra to even the score at 1-1.
Pittsburg State quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the third. Rodgers, who was a sparkplug at the top of the lineup, reached again—this time with a single to left. He swiped second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sanchez. Moments later, Bugner dropped a bunt single, allowing Rodgers to cross home and put the Gorillas back in front, 2-1.
The Gorillas tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Rodgers drew a walk and advanced to third on a single by Sanchez. Bugner continued his hot day at the plate with another RBI single, scoring Rodgers. Later in the inning, Hayden Dyer added a sacrifice groundout to drive in Sanchez, extending Pittsburg State's lead to 4-1.
In the top of the sixth, Woolwine started the Tigers rally with a single through the right side. Brady Kreutzer followed with a base hit of his own, putting two aboard with no outs. Elliott Herrmann then delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle, scoring Woolwine to cut the deficit to 4-2. Kreutzer later came home on a fielder's choice by Luis Ayala, making it a one-run game at 4-3.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game in the seventh in dramatic fashion. Saavedra ripped a double to left to start the inning, setting the stage for Woolwine. The senior first baseman launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall, flipping the script and giving Fort Hays a 5-4 lead.
Once the Tigers took the lead, the bullpen took control. Kaleb Carpenter entered in the fifth inning and silenced Pittsburg State's offense, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless frames while striking out five and allowing just two hits. Brandon Chavez came in for the eighth and picked up a crucial six-out save, his eighth of the season. He worked a flawless eighth and, after issuing a one-out walk in the ninth, retired Rodgers and Sanchez to secure the win.
n the sixth.
With the win, Fort Hays improved to 19-6 overall and 14-2 in MIAA play, streng