By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped both ends of a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday (March 1) against Wayne State, losing 8-4 and 3-1. The Tigers (7-10) collected just one fewer base hit than the Wildcats (5-4), 11-10, but the visitors took advantage of 19 free trips to first base via walk or hit by pitch to secure the sweep.
Trey DeGarmo collected three of FHSU’s 10 hits on the day, while Daniel Bebee and Andrew Hansen combined to toss seven scoreless innings of relief across the two games.
The Tigers will return to conference play this weekend (March 3-5) when they travel to Emporia, Kan. to take on Emporia State. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday before a pair of 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday.
Game 1 – Wayne State 8, Fort Hays State 4
The Wildcats manufactured two runs in the top of the first on two hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly before the Tigers tied things up in the home half of the inning.
DeGarmo tallied his first home run of the season in the second at bat of the frame, lifting a 2-1 pitch over the wall down the right-field line. Isaiah Ural, Zane Knox and Emile Boies then followed with back-to-back-to-back singles, with Boies tying the game with an RBI.
Three walks and a home run helped Wayne State regain the lead in the top of the second, 5-2. Ed Scott and DeGarmo tried to start a rally with consecutive singles, but the Wildcats got out of the jam with consecutive outs before retiring the side in order in the third.
Wayne State added to its lead with three runs in the top of the fourth before the Tigers answered back in the home half of the inning. FHSU took advantage of a pair of free runners, with Colter Maldonado reaching base on a hit by pitch and Brady Kreutzer reaching via walk. The pair moved up 90 feet on a Scott sacrifice bunt before the first run scored on a wild pitch. DeGarmo drove in his second run of the game with a groundout.
Bebee came on in relief to keep the Tigers in the mix, tossing four hitless innings. The junior struck out four batters and allowed only two of the 14 batters he faced reach base, both via a walk.
But the Wildcat bullpen kept the Tigers at bay, allowing only one runner to reach base over the final three innings to secure the win.
Game 2 – Wayne State 3, Fort Hays State 1
Two first-inning runs proved to be enough for the Wildcats in the nightcap after four WSC pitchers scattered four hits over seven innings, holding FHSU to one run.
The Tigers had runners in scoring position in four different innings, but could only push across one run. After leading off the fifth with a single through the left side, Colter Maldonado advanced all the way to third on wild pitch. He later came in to score on a balk.
FHSU had the tying run at the plate in the sixth after an Elliott Herrmann single, but the Wildcat bullpen got out of the jam before retiring the side in order in the seventh to seal the win.
Hansen tossed three scoreless innings of relief for the Tigers, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out two Wildcats. He helped the Tigers get out of a jam in the fifth, entering the game with the bases loaded before generating three outs on a pair of ground balls on the infield.