By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped Sunday’s contest against Washburn, 6-3, after another late Ichabod rally (Feb. 27). The Tigers led for much of the contest after early home runs from Mikey Felton and Grant Schmidt, but a three-run rally in the eighth propelled Washburn into the lead for good.
Tiger starter Hunter Parker nearly worked around a triple in the first inning, but the run came in to score with two outs on a wild pitch. FHSU quickly responded with Felton’s first home run as a Tiger. The catcher fell behind in the count 0-2 before working it back to 3-2. He then sent a towering fly over the fence in left center, knotting things up at 1-1.
Parker retired the side in order in the second before the Tigers jumped in front in the top of the third. Ed Scott worked a one-out walk before Schmidt followed with a two-run homer to left. The senior fouled off five pitches in the at bat before squaring up on a pitch for his fourth long ball of the season.
Parker scattered five hits over the next five innings, with Washburn manufacturing a run in the fifth before tying it up with a solo shot in the sixth. The Tigers had runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth, but the Washburn pitching staff got out of the jam each time.
The Tigers went to the bullpen in the eighth, bringing in the lefty Dustin Menard (0-1). The Ichabods had two on and two out before rattling off back-to-back singles to take a 6-3 lead.
Jaxson Webb gave FHSU a chance with a leadoff single in the ninth before Traelon Yarbrough sent the tying run to the plate with a pinch-hit single on the first pitch he saw. But the Ichabods capped off the win with a 6-4-3 double play.
Parker went seven strong, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters. Menard was issued the loss after giving up three runs on three hits and one walk. FHSU had six hits from six different players for the second day in a row. Jenner Kehe worked a walk in his third at bat, extending his on-base streak to 14 games.
The Tigers and Ichabods wrap up the series Monday (Feb. 28) beginning at 1 p.m.
Saturday
The Fort Hays State baseball team got a solid
start from Sammy
Sanchez and a good effort from relievers Zach
Berg and Dylan
Hamilton, but Washburn was the team that ended up finding the
game-winning run in extra innings Saturday (Feb. 26). The Tigers (1-12, 0-1
MIAA) knotted things up with a rally in the ninth before the Ichabods (9-4, 1-0
MIAA) walked off in the 12th.
Fort Hays State jumped in front early after Jenner
Kehe worked another walk, his league-leading 13th of the
season. He then swiped his fourth bag of the year before scoring on a single
from Grant
Schmidt. The Tigers went on to load the bases with just one
out, but Washburn got out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Sanchez was rolling from the start, tossing one of his four one-two-three
innings in the home half of the first. He worked around a walk and two hits in
the second to escape unscathed before retiring the next 10 batters he faced.
The Ichabods finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth with a home run, but
Sanchez shook that off with back-to-back strikeouts. He then worked around
three hits to post another zero in the seventh, his final inning of work.
The Tigers had chances on offense, picking up base runners in each of the first
six innings. But Ichabod starter Rane Pfeifer and long reliever Dalton Huggins
always found a way to get out of the jam. Huggins appeared to be in line for a
win after retiring eight in a row, leading to a two-out, nobody on situation in
the top of the ninth. Griffin
Brunson had other thoughts, working a five-pitch walk to keep
the inning going. Kehe followed with a single before Ed
Scott tied things up with an RBI single between the short stop
and third baseman. A throw from left tried to catch Brunson at home, but the
shortstop beat the throw easily.
After coming on to retire the side in order in the eighth, Zach
Berg got into a little bit of trouble in the ninth with a
leadoff double. It was later first and third with one out, but the
redshirt-junior got out of the jam with a pop out and a flyout, sending things
to extra innings.
Fort Hays State had two men on in both the 11th and 12th innings, but could not
get a run across. Berg worked around a walk in the 10th to keep things going
before Dylan
Hamilton retired the side in order in the 11th. Washburn
finally pushed a run across with a sacrifice fly in the 12th after two walks
and a bunt single loaded the bases with one out.
Sanchez struck out eight Ichabods over 7.0 innings, giving up two runs on seven
hits and just one walk. Berg tossed 3.0 scoreless frames, allowing just one hit
and two walks while striking out one. Hamilton (0-1) took the loss after
allowing one run on one hit and two walks over 1.2 innings of relief.
The Tigers had six hits from six different players in the contest. Fort Hays State
did not commit an error for the third time this season, compared to two
fielding miscues by the Ichabods.