By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State baseball team could not quite get over the hump Saturday (Feb. 9), dropping two close contests against New Mexico Highlands. The Tigers (0-5) had the lead midway through game one and tied things up late in game two, but the Cowboys (4-4) came through with timely hits to complete the weekend sweep.
The Tigers will return to action next weekend (Feb. 14-17) with four more non-conference games in Emporia, Kan. FHSU will battle Wayne State twice while facing off with William Jewell and Emporia State once.
Game One: New Mexico Highlands 12, Fort Hays State 8
The Tigers put up runs in each of the first five innings, but three big frames for New Mexico Highlands gave the Cowboys the victory. While Fort Hays State outhit NMHU by six, 15-9, the Cowboys made the most of 10 free bases (eight walks, two HBP).
Jared Maneth gave the Tigers their first lead of the season with an RBI single in the first, bringing in Tyler Olson. After the Cowboys took a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the first, FHSU tied things up with a trio of runs in the second. Landon Erway tripled and came in to score on a wild pitch before Tim Fitzgerald legged out the second triple of the inning, scoring Garrett Francis. Ryan Grasser then knotted the score at 4-4 with an RBI groundout to short.
Fort Hays State again took the lead with a run in the third after an RBI single from Erway brought Marcus McDaniel around to score, but New Mexico Highlands regained the lead for good with a five-spot in the bottom of the third.
The Tigers added three more runs over the next two innings, but the Cowboy pitching staff held FHSU scoreless over the final four innings to secure the victory.
Tanner Smith (0-2) took the loss after allowing nine runs over three innings of work. Ryan Brown tossed five effective innings out of the bullpen, giving up just one earned run on four hits while striking out three Cowboys.
Olson and Erway both finished 4-for-5 in the loss, while Grasser (3-for-5, 3 RBI) and Fitzgerald (2-for-4) also recorded multiple base hits.
Game Two: New Mexico Highlands 5, Fort Hays State 3
Fort Hays State battled from three runs down to tie things up in the sixth inning, but a pair of runs from the Cowboys completed the sweep for New Mexico Highlands. Cole Zimmerman (0-1) tossed six effective innings, striking out seven batters while allowing five runs on 10 hits and just one walk.
Neither side could get much going until New Mexico Highlands strung together a trio of hits to lead off the third, culminating in a Cowboy home run. The Tigers started their comeback right away, pushing across two runs with Jared Haynes’ double in the top of the fourth.
Zimmerman allowed just one baserunner over the next two innings, giving the Tiger bats the chance to tie things up. The offense came through with a one-out rally in the sixth after Ryan Stoecklein punched a single back up the middle. Marcus Altman followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position for Landon Erway. The right fielder beat out an infield single, tying things up at 3-3. The Cowboys then went to the bullpen to get out of the inning without any further damage.
The Cowboys put together a one-out rally of their own in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good, stringing together three singles to plate a pair of runs.
Stoecklein and Altman both finished the game with a pair of hits, with Stoecklein serving as the lone Tiger to score two runs