HAYS, Kan. - After fighting all the way back from 4-0 down to take a 7-5 lead, the Fort Hays State baseball team fell in 11 innings Sunday against Emporia State, 8-7. The Tigers were outhit 14-7 on the day, but home runs from Grant Schmidt, Conner Kessler and Mason Holton kept them in it until the bitter end.
Emporia State jumped in front with four runs on four hits in the top of the first before Tiger starter Jake Campbell settled in, tossing five scoreless innings after that. The sophomore scattered five hits over those other five innings, allowing four runs on nine total hits while striking out four and walking one in 6.0 innings of work.
Fort Hays State had runners on base in all but the 10th inning, but the Tigers struggled to push runs across early. Kessler put the first run on the board with a solo home run to left in the fifth, his first home run of the season. Schmidt made it a two-run game with a moon shot that just scraped over the wall in straightaway center, pulling the Tigers within 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth. The Tigers then tied things up on an opposite-field home run from Mason Holton in the bottom of the seventh. The freshman crushed a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right, tying things up at 4-4 after driving in Conner Kessler.
Emporia State grabbed the lead right back with a run in the eighth before Fort Hays State scored three to take its first lead of the game. Jenner Kehe led off with a walk before moving up 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt from Ed Scott. Kehe took third on a wild pitch before sliding in safely on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Schmidt. Kade Wallace and Jaxson Webb followed with consecutive two-out walks, leaving the door open for Mikey Felton. The designated hitter came through with a single to center, driving in one run before the Hornet defender misplayed the ball, allowing Webb to score from first.
The Hornets forced extra innings with two solo home runs in the ninth, including one when they were down to their final out. Kehe gave the Tigers a chance with a two-out hit in the ninth, but the Hornet staff sent it to extras with a strikeout.
Both sides went down in order in the 10th before Emporia State scored a run on bases loaded sacrifice fly in the 11th. Felton worked a walk to put the tying run on base in the home half of the 11th before the Hornets finished off the win with a fly out, a pop out and a strike out.
Cole Zimmerman tossed one scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts, while Dylan Hamilton gave up one run on two hits in 1.0 inning of work. Jacob Ensz (0-3) took the loss after giving up three runs on two hits and three walks in 2.0 innings of relief. Jacob Douglas finished things off, striking out one and issuing an intentional walk in one frame.
Kessler had two of the seven hits for the Tigers, while Schmidt and Holton each drove in a pair of runs.
The Tigers will be on the road next weekend to face off with Rogers State in another conference series. Action from Claremore, Okla. starts Friday (March 11) beginning at 2 p.m.