Complete recaps of Sunday’s games.
Fort Hays State started the final day with a 7-6 comeback victory over NSIC foe Wayne State College on Sunday at the Husky Dome.
Missed opportunities hurt the Tigers early, as FHSU left 11 runners on base throughout the game, but patience at the plate and key hits late eventually paid off as FHSU picked up the win. All told, the Tigers had just five hits as a team but worked 11 walks in the effort.
Paxton Duran threw the first four innings, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run (five total runs). Sarah Cochran (1-0) earned her first career win by throwing the final three innings, giving up one run on two hits.
Offensively, Samantha Villarreal was 1-for-1 with a double, three walks and three RBI, while Tori Beltz was 1-for-2 with two walks. Kylie Strand, Jenna Lang and Veronica Knittig each had RBI’s for FHSU as well.
FHSU got the scoring started in the first, taking advantage of three walks to push two across. With bases loaded, Villarreal drew a walk that brought Amanda Vaupel home, and Strand followed with an RBI ground out to plate Erin Elmore.
Duran was sharp through the first two, throwing just 19 pitches with four strikeouts before running into trouble in the third. WSC strung together four hits and took advantage of an error that originally sparked the rally, taking a 4-2 lead after 2.5 innings of play.
FHSU looked to strike back in its half of the third, loading the bases with one out, but a pop up and force out at third ended the threat and kept the Tigers at bay.
WSC extended its lead in the fourth as Melanie Alyea hit a two-out, solo home run to center field and put the Wildcats in front, 5-2.
The Tigers ahead showed life in the fourth, pushing Vaupel to third with one out before WSC gathered itself and ended the inning with a foul out and strikeout.
In the top of the fifth, FHSU found itself in a jam as the Wildcats put runners on second and third with no outs. After getting a ground out, FHSU allowed one run on a sacrifice fly to center but limited the damage after that, trailing 6-2 after the top of the fifth.
Struggling to find clutch hits for the first five innings, FHSU broke through in the sixth with five runs on three hits, all with two outs, to take a 7-6 lead. Courtney Dobson and Elmore started the rally with back-to-back walks before loading the bases on Tori Beltz‘s infield single. From there, Samantha Villarreal took the first pitch she saw to the right center fence for a two-RBI double, bringing the Tigers within two (6-4).
Kylie Strand then worked a walk, and FHSU scored again asJenna Lang reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed Beltz to score, and after a WSC error, Villarreal dashed home to tie it, 6-all. Veronica Knittig continued the rally with a single into center, scoring Strand on the eventual game-winner.
WSC threatened in the seventh and put a runner on third with one out, but a tough snag by Knittig on a line drive to third and a soft liner to Strand closed out the win for the Tigers.
Fort Hays State was shut out for the second time this season in the final game of its stay in St. Cloud, falling 4-0 to No. 23 Augustana.FHSU mustered just three hits in the game, coming from Samantha Villarreal, Jenna Lang and Madison Putman. Villarreal had the Tigers’ only extra base hit – a double in the second inning.In the circle, Kelsey Kimminau (1-3) took the loss with four runs allowed in four innings. Sarah Cochran threw the final three innings and scattered three hits with three strikeouts.
Augie took a 1-0 lead in the first off a bloop single into left, allowing the Vikings’ Jordan Schaffer to come home. That lead was extended to 4-0 in the third off a three-run home run from Jenelle Trautmann. That lead held up for the remainder of the game, though both teams threatened throughout the afternoon.
The Tigers put runners on in every inning after the first, showing patience with five walks on the day, but saw each scoring opportunity fall short. FHSU’s best chance to score came in the seventh, when Lang and Veronica Knittig reached third and second, respectively, with one out, but the Tigers’ couldn’t bring them home.