By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to overcome seven errors in Monday’s (April 1) series finale with Lindenwood, falling to the Lions 11-5 at Larks Park. The Tigers move to 3-24 overall and 2-16 in MIAA play while the Lions improve to 17-15 on the year and 11-7 in conference action.
The Tigers took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the first when Taylan Mullins-Ohm crushed his second home run of the season, sending an 0-1 pitch sailing over the fence in left center. The lead was short-lived, however, as Lindenwood pushed across five runs, including three unearned runs, over the next two frames to take a 5-1 lead through three innings.
Fort Hays State hitters had trouble solving Blake Beckmann (2-3), the Lions starting pitcher. Beckmann struck out 11 Tigers over 6.0 innings of work to earn the win.
The Tigers struck for three more runs in Beckmann’s final frame, but not after Lindenwood added four runs in the top of the sixth. After Landon Erway beat out a bloop single with a headfirst slide into first and Mullins-Ohm worked a walk, the pair came around to score after multiple wild pitches. Tyler Olson pulled the Tigers within 9-4 later in the inning when he belted his first home run as a Tiger to deep left center.
Lindenwood padded the lead to six with a run in the top of the seventh before FHSU tacked on one more in the home half of the eighth. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Erway, Mullins-Ohm and Ryan Grasser loaded up the bases to get the Tigers in business. But Lindenwood’s Michael Cessna, who earned his fourth save, got back in control thanks to a big double play that scored Erway. The reliever escaped the inning without further damage after striking out the next hitter.
Erway finished 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot while scoring two runs. Mullins-Ohm was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Catcher Dawson Sramek recorded his third multi-hit game of the season after finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.
Cody Rottinghaus (1-3) took the loss after allowing nine earned runs (six earned) on 11 hits while striking out one over 5.2 innings on the mound. Jake Taylor finished things off out of the pen, giving up a pair of runs on four hits while striking out one over 3.1 innings of work.
The Tigers are schedule to hit the road again next week when they travel to Maryville, Mo. for a three-game set with Northwest Missouri State. The series begins with a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday (April 5).