FHSU Athletics
HAYS, Kan. – For the first time since the 2010 season, the Fort Hays State Baseball team reached 30 wins in a season on Tuesday (Apr. 22) in a 12-4 win over Emporia State. The No. 21 ranked Tigers moved to 30-11 overall on the season and 24-6 in the MIAA with the win and swept the regular season series with the Hornets. Emporia State moved to 21-20 overall and 14-16 in the MIAA.
Cade Flaherty had a strong outing on the mound for FHSU, allowing just one run through seven innings of work. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second with just one run allowed and settled in from that point to hold the Hornets scoreless over the next five innings.
With Flaherty getting stronger on the hill, the Tiger offense came alive with two outs in the third inning when Isaiah Ural singled and Trey DeGarmo followed with an RBI triple to the right-center gap. The Tigers moved into the lead in the fourth inning with three more runs. A muffed throw by the Hornet first baseman on a sacrifice bunt by Cesar Saavedra set up the scoring opportunity as Cooper Howell drilled a 2-RBI triple to the left-center gap. Zane Knox followed with an RBI groundout. Ural extended the Tiger lead to four in the seventh with a solo home run to left-center field.
Flaherty finally ran out of gas in the eighth inning as the Hornets loaded the bases with one out. Brandon Chavez entered for a save opportunity and the Hornets pushed all three runs charged to Flaherty across the plate, but Chavez got a strikeout and a groundout to keep the Tigers in front 5-4.
After the tense moments in the top of the eighth, the Tiger offense erupted for seven runs in the bottom half of the inning to run away with the victory. Sebastian Burgos knocked in the first run with an RBI single and Ural had a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 7-4. The inning extended when the ESU center fielder dropped what would have been the third out, allowing two more runs to score. Elliott Herrmann followed with an RBI single and Saavedra had a 2-RBI double.
Chavez held the Hornets scoreless in the ninth for his ninth save of the season. Flaherty moved to 4-1 overall on the season with a 135-pitch effort on the mound. He scattered six hits and walked five, while striking out two. Emporia State used seven pitchers and the loss went to the first reliever of the game, Coby Rogers, who allowed four runs to the Tigers (three earned) in 1.1 innings of work.
With the win, Fort Hays State took a half-game lead over Central Missouri who plays their midweek Wednesday against Washburn.
UP NEXT
The Tigers will host Northwest Missouri State this weekend for the final home games of the regular season, set for Friday through Sunday. Pack the Park will be Friday night at 7 p.m.