FHSU Sports Information Department
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped both ends of Thursday’s (April 13) road doubleheader against Missouri Western, falling 14-5 in the opener before coming up short in the nightcap, 12-2.
Game One: Missouri Western 14, Fort Hays State 5
The Tigers fell behind early and were never able to recover in the opener. The Griffons scored four runs in the first and added three more in the third to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Fort Hays State battled back to close within 7-5, but the home team doubled its score by the seventh inning to win 14-5.
Trailing 7-0, Cody Starkel opened the Tiger rally with a leadoff double in the top of the fifth. After a pitch hit Marcus Altman, Starkel came around to score on a single to left from Jace Bowman. Later with two outs, Colton Helm loaded the bases with an infield single, bringing up Nick Hammeke. The senior came through with a base knock to left field, scoring a pair. Trevor Hughes kept things rolling with a solid single to right, scoring Helm from second.
After Fort Hays State batted around in the fifth, Starkel was once again the first Tiger to step up to the plate. The freshman squared up a pitch and sent it sailing over the fence in left center, trimming the Griffon lead to two.
Ben Ramberg (0-8) took the loss after surrendering nine runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings on the mound, striking out two. Starkel finished 2-for-4, including his third home run of the season. Altman went 1-for-3 with a double, the only other extra-base hit for the Tigers. Hammeke turned in a 2-for-5 day at the plate, driving in two runs. Bowman collected two hits, driving in one run and scoring another.
Game Two: Missouri Western 12, Fort Hays State 2 (8 innings)
The Tigers took an early lead in game two, but the Griffon offense took over in the late innings. Tiger starter Sam Capps (2-4) kept MWSU at bay during the early going, allowing three runs over the first six innings.
Fort Hays State jumped in front 1-0 in the top of the second after Jace Bowman led off with a triple to center. Dayton Pomeroy then lifted a deep fly ball to left, scoring Bowman on the sacrifice. After the Griffons knotted the score at one in the bottom of the second, neither team added to the tally until an MWSU home run in the fifth. The home team then added five runs in the seventh and four in the eighth to reach the 10-run threshold.
The Tigers picked up another run in the eighth inning when Marcus Altman led off with a double down the left field line. The freshman came in to score on a two-out single from Clayton Basgall, trimming the deficit to 8-2 at that point.
Capps turned in a line of 6.1 innings pitched, allowing five runs on nine hits while striking out three. The Tigers managed seven hits as a team, with three coming from Altman. Nick Hammeke was 2-for-4 with a triple.
The teams will wrap up the series Friday (April 14) with a 1 p.m. first pitch.