By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KEARNEY, Neb. – Fort Hays State picked up a pair of much-needed wins in MIAA play on Friday (March 22) at Nebraska-Kearney. After dropping their first four games of conference play this season, the Tigers got on track with a sweep of the Lopers by scores of 4-1 and 9-2. FHSU improved to 16-12 overall, now 2-4 in the MIAA, and UNK moved to 13-16 overall, 1-5 in the MIAA.
FHSU has now won seven of its last eight games and never trailed on Friday. The Tigers picked up their first wins in Kearney since the 2018 season and now have a four-game win streak against the Lopers going back to last season.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 4, Nebraska-Kearney 1
Fort Hays State took the lead early 3-0 with a pair of runs in the first and another in the second. They capped their scoring with another run in the sixth and minimized a Loper rally in the bottom half of the sixth to help secure a win in game one.
Peyton Shepard, Carly Stuke, and Loren Beggs walks in the first inning set up a 2-RBI single by Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson. In the second, Audrey Gillespie and Shepard drew walks to set up an RBI single by Stuke. Regan Curry was hit by a pitch in the sixth, moved up on a wild pitch, then came in to score on a Gillespie RBI single.
Savanah Egger surrendered just two hits to the Lopers through the first five innings, but ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth when she allowed three. An RBI single gave the Lopers their only run of the game. Egger had to dance out of danger when the Lopers loaded the bases with two outs, but she ended the threat by fielding a comebacker and tossing it to first for the third out.
Egger registered another complete-game win for the Tigers, moving to 9-5 on the season. She struck out four and won her fourth straight decision.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 9, Nebraska-Kearney 2
The Tigers used two big innings to hold off the Lopers in game two. FHSU scored three times in the third for a 3-0 lead, saw UNK score single runs in the fifth and sixth to get within one, but then put the game away with six more runs in the seventh.
A Peyton Shepard single and Sarah Tiffany walk eventually set up a 2-RBI single by Loren Beggs to put the Tigers on top in the third. A throwing error by the Lopers on a fielder’s choice allowed another run to score.
The Lopers manufactured a run in the fifth with an RBI single and then Bailey Carlson entered in relief for the Tigers in the sixth to minimize damage after the Lopers loaded the bases with no outs. UNK pushed one run across, but Carlson used three-straight ground balls to third base to get out of the jam.
The Tigers got the runs back the Lopers scored and more in the seventh when Shepard and Tiffany started a rally with back-to-back triples to make it 4-2. A Loper error allowed another run to score, then Madison Pierce, Regan Curry, and Adysen Burghart all picked up RBIs, and yet another Loper error plated a sixth run in the inning as the Tigers ran away with the win.
Morgan Schmidt threw the first 5.0 innings for the Tigers, allowing two runs (one earned). Carlson picked up her first save of the season with her solid relief effort over 2.0 innings of work, recording two strikeouts.
Fort Hays State will have a full week of rest before playing a pair of conference doubleheaders at Missouri Southern (March 29) and Pittsburg State (March 30) next weekend.