FHSU (7-8, 2-2 MIAA) had a combined 21 hits on the day, including five doubles and four home runs, and scored 11 runs over the two games.
The Tigers return to Hays next weekend for its home opening doubleheader. FHSU host Missouri Southern on Friday and Pittsburg State on Saturday.
Complete recaps of Sunday’s game are below…
Fort Hays State 8, Southwest Baptist 4
Fort Hays State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, rolling to an 8-4 win over Southwest Baptist in the first game of the day.
FHSU had 11 hits in the contest, scoring three runs in the first and seven runs in the first four innings.
Paxton Duran (3-4) threw all seven innings for her fourth complete game of the season, striking out six while allowing eight hits. Duran walked five and was tagged for four runs, but came up clutch throughout the game and stranded nine SBU runners.
Amanda Vaupel was 3-for-4 with four RBI in the game, hitting two doubles and a home run to lead the Tigers. Erin Elmore, Tori Beltz (two RBI) and Jenna Lang had multi-hit games, while Kylie Strand hit her first home run of the season. Beltz also had a home run and Rilee Krier picked up a double.
Strand led of the game with a solo home run to left center, and after two outs, Beltz drew a walk and Vaupel followed with a two-run blast to left field.
Leading 3-0 after the first, the Tigers stacked on another three in the third inning off four hits, a walk and an SBU error. Krier started the inning by reaching on an error, stealing a base before taking third on Elmore’s single to left. With runners on second and third, Beltz singled through the left side to score Krier and push Elmore to third before stealing second base herself. Vaupel then picked up two more RBI on the day, doubling to left center to plate Elmore and Beltz. FHSU led, 6-0, at that point.
With one out in the second, Krier doubled to center for her second hit of the day, later coming around to score when Elmore singled up the middle and put FHSU on the verge of a run-rule win, up 7-0.
In the top of the seventh, Beltz hit her fourth home run of the season (a team-high) to extend the Tigers’ shutout lead to eight, and though SBU scored four runs in the seventh, Duran and the Tigers locked down late to close out the complete game victory.
Fort Hays State 3, Southwest Baptist 2
Fort Hays State had 10 hits in the second game of the day, taking down SBU, 3-1, in a comeback win.
Kelsey Kimminau (3-4) threw a complete game – her fifth of the season – picking up the win with just one earned around. Kimminau scattered five hits in the game and walked only one Bearcat.
Seven Tigers had hits in the game, including multi-hit efforts from Kylie Strand, Madison Putman and Courtney Dobson. Amanda Vaupel and Jenna Lang (one RBI) each had doubles while Tori Beltz was 1-for-3 with her fifth home run of the season.
FHSU fell behind early, giving up a run on a hit and an error but the Tigers got out of a jam and stranded two Bearcats. From there, the teams traded sporadic offense until the fourth when FHSU tied it on an RBI double from Lang. Vaupel led off the inning with a double to center field and in the next at-bat, Lang sent Vaupel home with a double down the left field line. The fourth ended when Lang was thrown out at the plate trying to score.
The next inning, the Tigers took the lead off Beltz’s second home run of the day. With two outs, Erin Elmore singled up the middle before Beltz drove a pitch over the center field wall, giving FHSU a 3-1 lead. That two-run home run proved to be the difference as SBU scored one in the seventh but couldn’t tack on any more and FHSU completed the sweep.