FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped to 7-14 on the year after falling to Newman by the score of 9-7 on Tuesday (Mar. 14) at Larks Park. With the victory, the Jets improved to 7-12 on the year. The Tigers will get another crack at the Jets later on in the season as the two teams are playing a home-and-home series this season.
FHSU gave up a run in both the first and second before they cut the Newman lead in half in the bottom of the second inning. Dayton Pomeroy led off the inning for the Tigers with a single then moved to third thanks to a Trevor Hughes double two batters later. Jared Bogosian then plated Pomeroy with a ground out.
The Jets extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth thanks to a home run from Aaron Mack, but the lead would not last long as the FHSU bats caught fire in the bottom half. Clayton Basgall led off the inning with the first of two triples in the game, scoring on a single off the bat of Jace Bowman. With runners on first and second, Newman booted a ground ball to load the bases, then with two outs, Nick Hammeke picked up a RBI thanks to a five-pitch walk. Jake Lanferman made it a four-run inning when he plated two with a single to left.
The Tigers held on to a two-run lead until Newman added runs in the sixth and the seventh, knotting the score at five. FHSU regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a RBI triple from Basgall and a RBI single off the bat of Hughes. Basgall became the first Tiger with two triples in a game since 2008 (Cory Gaudet, PSU, 5/3/08).
The Tiger pitchers struggled down the stretch, allowing four runs in the final inning to hand the lead back to Newman, 9-7. Fort Hays State had the heart of its order coming up in the bottom of the ninth, but Jets pitcher Matt Riney made easy work of the FHSU three-four-five hitters, shutting them down in order to claim the victory.
Eight of the nine Tigers in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit, with Basgall, Hughes, and Bowman all picking up a pair of base knocks. Lanferman was the lone player with multiple RBI, with Basgall coming around to score twice.
Both teams used a slew of pitcher in the game, with a total of 14 individuals taking to the bump. Connor Boyer made the start for FHSU, throwing two innings allowing two runs to go along with a pair of strikeouts and walks. Cole Schumacher and Easton Palmer both tossed scoreless innings, with Schumacher picking up two strikeouts. Clayton Basgall (0-2) took the loss after giving up two runs in the ninth.
The Tigers will jump back into conference play later this week when they host No. 15 Emporia State for a three-game series (Mar. 17-19). First pitch is set for 5 p.m. Friday before a 1 p.m. start Saturday and a noon commencement Sunday.