By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
BETHANY & EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State picked up a split for the second-straight day at the Raising Cane’s Softball Festival. The Tigers had a chance to upset No. 23 Southern Arkansas in the first game of the day, but came up short 3-2 in an extra-inning contest. However, they bounced back for a 9-4 win over East Central in the nightcap to claim Adrian Pilkington‘s 200th win as head coach of the Tigers. With the results on a chilly Friday (Feb. 16), the Tigers moved to 6-2 overall on the season.
Pilkington became the first coach in FHSU’s NCAA Division II softball history to reach 200 wins as she already owns the FHSU record for most wins by a head coach.
#23 Southern Arkansas 3, Fort Hays State 2 (8 inn.)
Fort Hays State fought off some first-inning misfortune and rallied to tie No. 23 ranked Southern Arkansas. The Tigers had great chances to take the lead late, but could not find a key hit in clutch moments as the Muleriders escaped in extra innings with the international tiebreaker format in use.
Southern Nazarene used some good luck to plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. A bad hop on a hard grounder to third base turned into a double, and then a couple batters later, a very high infield pop fly caused havoc in a strong breeze and fell in fair play after touching the glove of a lunging Tiger defender. That would be the only earned run Morgan Schmidt would allow in the pitching circle. SAU plated its second run in the first as well on a dropped fly ball on the infield.
From that point, Morgan Schmidt shook off the tough luck and blanked a potent Mulerider offense over the next six innings. That gave her offense the chance to stage a comeback, which they did, but unfortunately fizzled when they had a chance to take the lead in the final three innings of the contest.
After giving up the two runs in the first, the Tigers cut the lead in half in the second when Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson singled home Loren Beggs. In the sixth, a fielding error by SAU to open the inning opened the door for the Tigers. A Carly Stuke single set up runners at first and second and then Lexi Mohr delivered a big-time pinch-hit RBI single to score Beggs for a second time in the game. The Tigers had runners at first and second with one out still, but a strikeout and lineout ended the threat.
The Tigers had another solid chance in the seventh with one out when Alondra Dominguez walked and Madison Pierce laced a double into the right field corner. However, a strikeout produced the second out and a walk by Regan Curry loaded the bases. Unfortunately, another strikeout ended the Tigers’ golden opportunity.
Schmidt retired the side in the seventh to force extra innings. Using the international tiebreaker, the Tigers started the eighth with a runner on second. The Tigers executed the sacrifice bunt to get the runner over just fine, but then a key strikeout left the runner at third and then Peyton Shepard nearly beat out a ball bobbled by the second baseman, but was just a half-step late to the bag. SAU got its runner to third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and Kamryn Moctezuma ended the game with an RBI single through the left side.
Schmidt took a tough-luck loss in a complete-game effort, going 7.2 innings with six hits and two walks allowed. She struck out six, moving to 2-2 on the season. Sydney Ward moved to 3-1 this season with 13 strikeouts in her 8.0 complete-game effort for the Muleriders. She allowed six hits, five walks, and hit one batter.
Fort Hays State 9, East Central 4
Even though game one was challenging with wind and chilly temperatures, the second game was even colder as the sun went behind the clouds while FHSU took on East Central at Gerry Pinkston Stadium in Edmond (home of UCO softball). The game saw two lead changes as the Tigers were on the good end of a higher scoring affair.
FHSU jumped on the board first with a pair of first-inning runs. Peyton Shepard singled to leadoff the game, Sarah Tiffany sacrificed her up, and Shepard came in to score on a throwing error on the back end of an infield single by Alondra Dominguez. With two outs, Loren Beggs drove in Dominguez with a single.
East Central did the majority of its offensive damage in the third with two outs. A walk put two runners on and ECU followed that with an RBI single and a two-RBI double to take a 3-2 lead.
The ECU lead did not last long, however, as the Tigers stormed back with a huge 7-run bottom of the third to emphatically reclaim their lead. The rally started with singles by Tiffany and Dominguez, then Madison Piercereached on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Beggs wore a pitch in tight that forced in the tying run. With the bags still juiced, Lilliana Ramirez-Johnson knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout.
Regan Curry continued to apply pressure by drawing a walk to load the bases again, then Carly Stuke made ECU pay with a bases-clearing double to make it 7-3 in favor of FHSU. ECU changed pitchers, but the Lexi Mohrcontinued the offensive onslaught with another single. That set up a Peyton Shepard RBI single, Tiffany walked in her second plate appearance of the inning, and Dominguez delivered a ground-out RBI. FHSU had five hits in the inning to go with the two walks and the hit batter, taking a commanding 9-3 lead to the fourth.
That was plenty for Savanah Egger to move to 4-0 for the season in the pitching circle. Her only other run allowed came in the sixth, aided by a Tiger error. Egger allowed six hits and one walk, while striking out eight. Three of the four runs she allowed were earned.
Taryn O’Brien was tagged for eight of the nine runs scored by FHSU in just 2.1 innings of work in the pitching circle. Lauren HerrNeckar allowed the final run and worked 3.2 innings of relief.