GOODWELL, Okla. – Fort Hays State baseball improved to 4-3 on the young season with a 10-4 victory at Oklahoma-Panhandle State. The Aggies dropped to 1-8 overall.
Starting pitcher Logan Herd allowed just one base runner in 4.0 innings of work. Herd retired the first eleven Aggie batters until Joseph Cerda came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the 4th. Cerda recorded a base hit to center, but Herd wasn’t rattled and was able to get the next batter to ground out. Herd picked up the win by coach pre-determination of pitchers used for the game.
Success from the top half of the order was key to the Tigers victory. Batters 1 through 5 in the order scored all but one run for the Tigers and combined to get on base 14 times.
Ty Redington led the game off getting hit by a pitch. Caleb Cherryholmes followed up with a single then two outs later Connor Ross delivered a two-out, two-RBI single putting the Tigers up 2-0 in the first.
After being held scoreless for the next three innings, the Tigers were able to rally in the fifth to push two more runs across. With two outs, Ross drew a walk and Alex Weiss followed that up with a single. Alex King was hit by a pitch in the following at-bat that loaded that bases. Trevor Hughes then delivered the two-out, two RBI single extending the lead to 4-0. Austin Unrein added an insurance run with an RBI double in the sixth that scored Redington who reached after a dropped third strike.
In the seventh inning, Tiger pitching struggled to find the strike zone. Juan Rubayo led off the inning for the Aggies with a single and ended up in scoring position after Austin Beckner was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch, which advanced the runners to second and third, Derek Stallworth delivered a base hit RBI getting the Aggies on the board for the first time.
With runners on the corners, Connor Boyer took to the mound for Fort Hays State. The Aggies executed a squeeze play that worked to perfection and cut the lead to 5-2 with one out. It took four pitchers to get out the Tigers out of inning leading 5-4 as the next five Aggies reached base via walks. Giles Fox stopped the bleeding as he came in to face the tenth batter of the inning got a ground ball force out at second. Fox would go on to pitch a scoreless eighth and ninth to pick up his second save of the season.
The comeback threat was short-lived as the Tigers scored five runs in the eighth. A one-out walk to Redington started the rally for the Tigers as the next five batters were able to score. Unrein delivered his second double of the game plating two. MIAA/Astroturf Hitter of the Week Joe Mapes blasted his fourth homer of the year giving the Tigers two more runs pushing the lead to 9-4 in favor of the Tigers. Weiss added another run with an RBI single.
Next up for the Tigers is a four-game road series as they head to Golden, Colo. to take on Colorado Mines. The first game is scheduled for Friday (Feb. 19) at 3 pm.