By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State trailed in both games against Newman University on Wednesday (Apr. 17) at Tiger Stadium before claiming each contest with late rallies. Fort Hays State won the first contest 3-1 before winning the second in walk-off fashion 3-2. The doubleheader sweep moved FHSU to 19-18 overall on the season, while Newman fell to 13-34 overall.
Game 1: Fort Hays State 3, Newman 1
Newman grabbed an early 1-0 lead with a run in the second inning, but Fort Hays State evened the score with a run in the third and then completed a comeback win with two runs in the sixth. Hailey Chapman tossed a complete game for the Tigers, allowing just two hits and two walks with six strikeouts. She is now 10-9 overall on the season.
Newman picked up its only run in the game on a sacrifice fly RBI by Adrienne Esposito. FHSU countered with an RBI single by Bailey Boxberger in the third. A throwing error by Newman to open the sixth inning opened the door for the Tigers, allowing Elise Capra to advance all the way to third base. She then came in to score on a passed ball to give FHSU a 2-1 lead. Katie Adler immediately followed Capra scoring with a double. She then came around to score on an RBI double by Lily Sale.
Chapman worked three flawless innings in her outing. In the seventh, she worked around a leadoff walk with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to end the game. Bailey Bugner took the loss for Newman, allowing seven hits and a walk. One of the three runs she allowed was unearned.
Game 2: Fort Hays State 3, Newman 2
Fort Hays State trailed twice in the second contest, but rallied with a run in the sixth and a run in the seventh to sweep the doubleheader. Allison Jurgensen was the walk-off hero in game two, lacing a two-out RBI single to center field to plate Lily Sale for the win.
Bailey Bugner put Newman on top 1-0 in the first inning with an RBI single, but the Tigers countered immediately in the bottom half of the inning when Terran Caldwell launched a ball over the right field wall to tie the game 1-1.
Newman moved back in front in the fourth when the Tigers had a bad rash of errors. Back-to-back errors by Tiger infielders on routine plays allowed Newman’s second run. Fort Hays State committed a season-high four errors in the game.
Despite all the errors, Michaelanne Nelson held Newman to just one earned run in the game. Nelson allowed only one hit in the final three innings to keep the Jets scoreless following their second run in the fourth. The Tigers rallied to tie the game in the sixth when Katie Adler battled through a 10-pitch at bat and lined a single up the middle and score pinch runner Hailey Chapman from second. Lily Sale started the seventh-inning rally for FHSU with a leadoff bunt single. Caldwell put down a sacrifice bunt to push Sale to second, then Jurgensen kept the game from reaching extra innings with her clutch two-out RBI single. It gave FHSU its fourth walk-off victory of the season and Jurgensen’s first walk-off hit as a Tiger.
Nelson allowed five hits and three walks, while striking out six. She moved to 8-9 on the season with a complete-game victory.
Tiger Notes
–Lily Sale led the Tigers with 4 hits in the doubleheader and scored the game-winning run in the second game. Her RBI double in game one gave FHSU a two-run cushion going into the final inning.
–Terran Caldwell had the only home run of the doubleheader by either team, hitting her second of the season.
-FHSU pitchers Hailey Chapman and Michaelanne Nelson both allowed just one earned run in their outings and both fanned six batters.
-Fort Hays State is 11-5 so far this year at home.
Up Next
Fort Hays State returns to MIAA play this weekend in Missouri when it plays at Central Missouri on Friday at 2 pm, then Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 12 pm.