Softball splits with Orediggers before sweeping UNK

By DYLAN SWIHART

Tiger Media Network

The Fort Hays State University softball team hosted Colorado School of Mines for a doubleheader last Wednesday afternoon at Flaherty Field. The teams split the pair of games.

The Colorado School of Mines starting pitcher, Sadriena Rodriguez, made life difficult for FHSU hitters in the first game, while starting pitcher for the Tigers, Morgan Schmidt, struggled against CSM hitters as the Orediggers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning.

“She (Schmidt) was making competitive pitches and gave up a few soft hits while working in the confines of a small strike zone,” head coach Adrian Pilkington said.

Bailey Carlson replaced Schmidt in the second inning and shut down the Orediggers from then on, giving up just two hits. The Orediggers did grab one run off of Carlson in the fifth inning.

The Tigers made a late run in the seventh inning but came up just short as the Orediggers took game one 4-3.

“One of the big things we were struggling with as a team in the first game was making adjustments in our at bats, so that played a big role in the game until the last inning when we started to make those adjustments,” senior infielder Loren Beggs said.

However, the second game was a complete turnaround from the first for FHSI.

Fort Hays State jumped out to an early lead, scoring one in the first, five in the third and tacked two more runs on in the fourth for a 7-0 lead.  

“We struggled with that in the first game, and we knew that we needed to get a win, so we pushed ourselves to give all we had left that day and leave it all on the field,” Beggs said.

Colorado School of Mines threw three different pitchers at Fort Hays State throughout the game, and the Tigers didn’t struggle.

“Offensively, we were attacking better pitches, putting together better quality at bats and making adjustments from one pitcher to the next,” Pilkington said.  

Savanah Egger tossed a complete game against the Orediggers, only allowing four hits and one run, which came late in the sixth inning.

The Tigers won the second game 7-1.

FHSU added two more wins against Nebraska-Kearney on the road and are now winners of seven of their last eight games. Fort Hays State will be on the road Friday and Saturday for doubleheaders against Missouri Southern and Pittsburgh State.