FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Softball snapped its losing string on Wednesday (March 13) with a doubleheader sweep of Rockhurst University. The Tigers defeated the Hawks by scores of 2-1 and 2-0, moving to 11-11 overall on the season. The Hawks dropped to 5-9 overall. The first game went to extra innings with the Tigers scoring the winning run in the eighth.
Fort Hays State 2, Rockhurst 1 (8 inn.)
Fort Hays State posted an early run in the first and nearly made it hold up, but Rockhurst was able to get the tying run in the seventh to force extra innings. The Tigers went on to win in walk-off fashion on a sacrifice fly RBI with the international tiebreaking format being used in extra innings.
A Peyton Shepard leadoff single set the table for the Tigers' first run of the game. She stole second, moved up to third on a groundout, then scored on a sacrifice fly RBI by Alondra Dominguez.
Savanah Egger was cruising along with just two hits allowed through the first six innings, holding the Hawks scoreless. However, Rockhurst broke through in the seventh with a single and then an RBI double to start the inning, tying the game. The Hawks took an extra base on a Tiger misplay of the ball in the outfield, leaving a runner at third with no outs. Egger worked some wizardry to get out of the jam with a strikeout, a ground out, and then another strikeout to end the threat.
The Tigers had a golden opportunity to end the game in the seventh, but a potential sacrifice fly ball to right field turned into a double play as the Tiger runner was cut down at the plate to end the inning. Egger was able to work around the runner placed at second in the eighth with the help of her catcher Madison Pierce cutting down a potential base stealer to keep the game tied. Lexi Mohr executed a sacrifice bunt to perfection to start the eighth and two batters later, Sarah Tiffany ended the game with an RBI sacrifice fly.
Egger finished the game with 10 strikeouts, moving to 6-5 overall on the season. She scattered just four hits and walked only one in a complete game effort. Rockhurst pitcher Anna Stephen took the loss, allowing five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Loren Beggs finished 3-for-3 at the plate in the game for the Tigers, accounting for 60 percent of the team's five hits.
Fort Hays State 2, Rockhurst 0
The Tigers scored two once again in the second game, but kept Rockhurst scoreless this time to get their overall record back to .500 on the season. Morgan Schmidt threw a two-hit complete game shutout with nine strikeouts to pick up her third win on the season. She did not allow any walks.
The Tigers had just one hit through the first three innings before finally breaking through for the game's first run in the fourth. Carly Stuke had a two-out single and then came in to score on a flare triple down the right field line by Madison Pierce. The Tigers tacked on one more run in the fifth when Peyton Shepard led off the inning with a hit and later came in to score on a two-out RBI single by Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson. The Tigers had five hits in the game, all scattered among different players.
Fort Hays State will play host to Bethany College on Thursday (March 14) in a doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. at Fleharty Family Field.