The Tigers (11-12) continue their road trip this weekend with conference doubleheaders at Lincoln Friday and Lindenwood Saturday.
Complete recaps of Wednesday’s games are below.
Fort Hays State 4, Colorado Mines 1
Fort Hays State used a four-run rally in the sixth and a near-perfect game from Paxton Duran to pick up a win in the first game of its doubleheader with Colorado Mines, 4-1.
Duran (6-5) gave up just one hit in the win, taking a no-hitter into the final inning. Duran finished with six strikeouts and one walk in the complete game performance – her sixth of the season.
Tori Beltz was 2-for-3 in the game with a two-run home run, while Amanda Vaupel led the team with three hits on the afternoon. Erin Elmore (2-for-4), Duran (1-for-3) and Samantha Villarreal (1-for-3) had doubles for the Tigers.
In the top of the sixth, Elmore led off the inning with a double down the left field line for the Tigers prior to Gabrielle Sandoval entering as a pinch runner. From there, Beltz took a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence to give FHSU a 2-0 lead on her sixth home run of the year.
The Tigers continued to push with three straight hits from Samantha Villarreal (double), Vaupel (single) and Duran (RBI double), taking a 3-0 lead with no outs. With one out in the inning, Mackenzie Villarreal pinch hit and came through in the clutch, singling through the left side to score Vaupel and give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
FHSU loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh behind singles from Elmore and Vaupel, but after Duran was hit by a pitch the Tigers couldn’t extend the lead and went into the final frame up four.
Duran saw her no-hitter broken up with a leadoff single in the seventh, but after a sacrifice fly from the Orediggers cut the Tigers’ lead to three (4-1) with two outs, the Tigers sealed the win with a fly out to left.
Colorado Mines 2, Fort Hays State 1 (11 innings)
Game two of the doubleheader went into the 11th inning before Colorado Mines scored to defeat the Tigers, 2-1, and split the series.
Kelsey Kimminau started the game and through 8.1 innings, scattering four hits with one earned run allowed on six strikeouts. Sarah Cochran (1-1) was tagged with the loss after throwing 2.0 innings and giving up a run in the 11th. Cochran had one strikeout and did not allow a walk.
At the plate, Courtney Dobson was 3-for-4 on the day while Rilee Krier finished with two hits.
FHSU broke through to score in the fifth on a two-out walk. After a fielder’s choice from Mackenzie Villarreal in a pinch hit situation, Madison Putman re-entered at first before moving to second on Dobson’s single into center field. A fielder’s choice put Putman on third and Kylie Strand on first before Elmore was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Tigers took the lead as Beltz drew a full-count walk for an RBI, bringing Putman home with two outs.
CSM answered in its half of the fifth, however, loading the bases before Rebecca Fallon came home to score on a fielding error. Kimminau limited the damage though with a strikeout and groundout to get out of the jam.
The Tigers threatened in the bottom of the ninth after Dobson’s two-out double moved Veronica Knittig to third but FHSU couldn’t plate the go-ahead run. In the home half of the night, Fallon tripled with one out to force Kimminau from the circle, making way for Cochran, who got a line drive out and a ground out to keep the Orediggers at bay.
With the international tie-breaker in effect for the 10th, Colorado Mines saw Brielle Asato start on second before moving to third on Paige Noehring’s single up the middle, but three straight outs from the Tigers kept the score intact and forced another inning of play.
In the top of the 11th, Vaupel moved Sandoval to third on a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning but the Tigers could not score and looked to remain tied in the bottom half. The Orediggers, however, took advantage of a passed ball to move Hallie Smith to third before Pua Fujinaga’s sacrifice fly to center scored Smith for the game-winner.