By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State baseball team secured a series win over New Mexico Highlands after picking up a doubleheader sweep on Saturday (Feb. 11), winning 22-1 and 8-5. The offense continued to shine as the Tigers scored 30 runs on the day, while the pitching staff scattered six hits across 12 frames of work. FHSU is now 5-3 on the year, while the Cowboys dip to 1-7 through two weeks of action.
Before opening conference play at the end of the month, the Tigers will play another former RMAC rival in Regis next weekend (Feb. 17-19). The series is slated for one game on Friday, two games on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
Game 1 – Fort Hays State 22, New Mexico Highlands 1
The Tigers took the lead in the first frame with a two-out rally after Isaiah Ural clubbed a two-run double down the right-field line. The center fielder came around to score on a passed ball and a throwing error. The Tigers doubled the lead in the third after Brady Kreutzer tripled to lead things off. The Hays native completed his trip around the bases two batters later following a double from Trey DeGarmo.
Before the Tigers blew the game wide open in the fifth, a masterful performance on the mound from Nate Pitts (1-0) kept the Tigers in front. The true freshman retired 10-straight batters at one point, surrendering one run on two hits and two walks while striking out five batters in 4.1 innings of work.
The Tiger offense got to work in the fifth, scoring 10 runs on as many hits. A single from Ed Scott brought home Kreutzer who doubled to lead off the inning. DeGarmo singled through the right side to bring home Scott before a bases-loaded single from Emile Boies plated two more runs. Mikey Felton collected his first hit of the contest on a 2-RBI single before Zach Davis sent his second home run of the series into orbit. A groundout by Scott and an RBI single from Herrmann scored the final two runs of the frame for the Tigers.
After the Cowboys got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers put up another huge frame on offense. Felton would drive home Zane Knox on a single to right field which was biffed by the right fielder, advancing Felton all the way to third. A Kreutzer single made the lead 14-1 before a two-out rally brought across five runs. A base-clearing double by Ural followed by a two-run shot from Herrmann pushed the Tiger lead to 17 before an RBI double from Knox pushed the lead to 19-1.
A walk to DeGarmo in the seventh set up the final three runs of the game for the Tigers. A single by Ural drove in DeGarmo before Herrmann doubled to left to bring home Ural. Knox singled to right to plate Herrmann for the final run of the game.
Nate Whitehill and Trip Davis combined for scoreless 2.2 innings of relief while not allowing a single hit. Each reliever punched out a pair at the plate.
Ural and Kreutzer each collected four hits and scored four runs while Herrmann went 3-for-5 at the plate with a team-high five RBI.
Game 2 – Fort Hays State 8, New Mexico Highlands 5 (5 innings)
The Cowboys got on the board first in the opening frame with a two-run homerun, but the Tigers took the lead for good in the second with four runs on three hits. The first Tiger run scored on an RBI single from Ridge Stephens before a pair of walks loaded the bases. Ural drove in the tying run after he was hit by a pitch before Herrmann drove in a pair on a double into the right-center gap.
The Cowboys trimmed the Tiger lead to one by scoring a wild pitch in the third, but an RBI ground out from Herrmann and an RBI triple from Boies plated two more runs for the Tigers in the fourth. NMHU plated another run in the home half on a passed ball. The Tigers scored their final two runs on a double from Ural that toed the left field line. Trailing 8-4, the Cowboys got the tying run on base after two walks, one hit-by-pitch and one single. With daylight quickly fading, Bois came in to pitch and record the final out via strikeout.
Ural and Herrmann both drove in three runs on two hits, while DeGarmo crossed the plate a team-high thre times. Austin Puett (1-0) allowed three runs on two hits over 2.0 innings in his Tiger debut before Zach Berg struck out six batters in 2.2 innings of relief. The senior surrendered two runs (one earned) on just one hit.
Friday
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Fort Hays State baseball team split the first of two doubleheaders against New Mexico Highlands on Friday (Feb. 10). The Cowboys capitalized on a few miscues in the opener, winning 5-3 on only two hits, but a combination of solid pitching and offensive production helped the Tigers secure the split. FHSU moves to 3-3 overall, while NMHU picked up their first win of the season moving to 1-5 on the year.
Game 1 – New Mexico Highlands 5, Fort Hays State 3
The Tigers took advantage of a smattering of miscues by the Cowboys in the first inning as Trey DeGarmo reached base on a throwing error by the third baseman. A passed ball followed by a wild pitch allowed DeGarmo to come around and score.
The Cowboys took the lead in the third inning where they collected three runs on a pair of hits, their only two base knocks of the contest. A walk with the bases loaded would bring home their first run before a single to left field plated two more runs. The Tigers responded in the fourth with a solo bomb from Zach Davis trimming the Cowboy lead to 3-2.
Three straight walks loaded the bases for the Cowboys in the home half and a pair of sacrifice plays would plate their final two runs of the contest. Zane Knox delivered his first home run of the season in the fifth, but the Tiger scoring ended there. Fort Hays State managed to get their leadoff hitter on base in the last two innings, but were unable to cut into the Cowboy lead.
Mikey Felton finished 2-for-3 at the plate while Andrew Hansen and Cade Flaherty combined for nine strikeouts in six innings. Flaherty struck out five batters over three scoreless innings of relief without allowing a base hit.
Game 2 – Fort Hays State 16, New Mexico Highlands 2
The Cowboys struck first in game two with a run in the opening inning before the Tigers took the lead for good with four runs in the third. A trio of singles by Ed Scott, Knox and Isaiah Ural loaded the bases for Elliott Herrmann. The MIAA co-Hitter of the Week collected his first two of three RBI on a fielder’s choice.. Back-to-back singles from Emile Boies and Felton plated the final two runs of the inning.
The Cowboys scored one more run in the home half of the third before the Tiger pitching staff stymied Cowboy hitters over the final six innings. Connor Holle (1-0) earned his first win as a Tiger after striking out eight batters over five innings of work. He allowing two runs on just three hits. Luuk ter Beek chipped in four scoreless innings of relief, allowing only one hit. ter Beek added six strikeouts while walking just two batters.
The Tigers went on to score 12 unanswered runs over the remaining six innings, pulling away for the blowout win. A single from Herrmann and a sacrifice fly from Felton plated two runs in the fourth before a solo shot from Brady Kreutzer in the fifth put the Tigers up 7-2.
Two more Tiger runs crossed in the sixth as Boies delivered a solo bomb down the right field line before Kreutzer collected a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. A Ridge Stephens RBI single and a bases-loaded walk to Kreutzer pushed the Tiger lead to 11-2 in the eighth inning.
The Tigers batted around in the ninth, plating five runs on two hits. The first four batters were gifted first base with a pair of walks and two being hit by a pitch before Kreutzer hit into a fielder’s choice to plate their second run of the inning. The remainder of the runs were scored on the following two at-bats as Scott singled to right to plate Stephens and Knox cleared the bases with a triple down the line in right.
Boies finished 3-for-4 and crossed the plate three times, bringing his team leading total to 12. Kreutzer drove in four RBI, with Herrmann adding three RBI.