By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
The Fort Hays State Tiger baseball team was able to pick up a 13-4 win against the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State. Fort Hays State improves to 21-16 on the year and 9-14 in MIAA play, while the Bearcats fall to 17-20 overall and 9-14 in conference action.
The freshman Rafael Espinoza took the mound as the starting pitcher and immediately set the tone for the game with his exceptional command. In the first inning, Espinoza demonstrated his ability to control the game, shutting down the Bearcat offense and allowing no runs to cross the plate till the top half of the fourth.
Fort Hays State scored first when Isaiah Ural scored from a Zane Knox sacrifice fly in the first inning. The bottom half of the third was successful for the Tiger bats, scoring four runs on five hits. Cesar Saavedrascored first in the inning from a ground rule double from Ural. Trey DeGarmo was able to lift one over the fence later in the inning, adding three more to the run tally.
After the Bearcats scored two in the top half of the fourth, the Tigers scored three on three hits. Saavedra scored from a Brady Kreutzer double to left, then Kreutzer and Elliott Herrmann scored after a single from Knox. The Tigers led 8-2 after four.
Northwest Missouri’s Jacob Selock hit a solo shot to begin the top of the fifth, marking his third homer in the series. Espinoza was able to get out of the inning unscathed, giving up just that lone run on two hits.
The bottom half of the sixth saw the Tiger bats continue to hit, scoring five more on six hits. After back-to-back singles by Ural and Herrmann, Kreutzer crushed one to left center for a three-run home run. The next batter, Knox, was able to lift one over the right center fence for back-to-back homeruns, making the score 12-4. The Tigers went on to score one more in the sixth from a Sebastian Burgos double down the left field line, scoring Luis Ayala who doubled the at bat before.
Rafael Espinoza went nine innings allowing just four earned runs on seven hits, striking out six batters. This marks Espinoza’s second complete game in a Tiger uniform, completing his last start in a similar fashion. Espinoza improves to 4-1 on the year with a 3.65 ERA.
Every Tiger starter was able to tally a hit on the day, going for 17 total hits, while scoring 13 runs. Ural, Kreutzer and DeGarmo had three hits, while Herrmann and Knox finsihed with a pair of hits. Kreutzer and Knox finished the day with four runs batted in, with DeGarmo scoring three on the moon-shot home run. Ural and Bergos were the other Tigers able to notch an RBI.
Fort Hays State will travel to Wichita, Kan. for game the rubber match against the Newman Jets, and then head east to Topeka, Kan. to face off in a three-game series against the Ichabod’s of Washburn. Newman’s match is set for Tuesday (April 9) at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday
The Fort Hays State baseball team fell to Northwest Missouri State on a blustery Saturday afternoon (April 6), 11-3. The Bearcats are now 17-19 overall and 9-13 in MIAA play with the win, while the Tigers move to 20-16 on the year and 8-14 in league action.
Both sides had baserunners in all nine innings, with Northwest managing to push runs across in five separate innings and the Tigers only doing so once.
Tiger starter Cade Flaherty allowed one run in the top of the first, but worked out of a jam to leave the bases loaded with his second strikeout of the game. The Bearcats added three runs in the second, but again left the bases loaded when Dylan Rinker came on to record the final out.
The Tigers recorded base hits in each of the first three innings before working walks in the fourth and fifth innings, but FHSU was unable to move a runner past second base against Bearcat starter Casey Stalzer. The righty finished the game with 13 strikeouts in 7.0 scoreless innings of work, including eight called third strikes.
Rinker posted three-consecutive scoreless innings in the third, fourth and fifth innings before a pair of walks came around to score in the top of the sixth. Rinker allowed one more run in the seventh before Landyn Sterling came on to record the final two outs of the inning via strikeout.
The Bearcats then scored four runs in the top of the eighth before the Tigers got on the board in the home half of the inning. Isaiah Ural led off with a single before Trey DeGarmo drove in FHSU’s first run of the game with a double down the left-field line. Jose Cintronfollowed with a pinch-hit triple to right, driving in DeGarmo, before Cintron scored on a groundout from Kyle Morrell.
Andrew Hansen came on to work a scoreless ninth inning, but the Tigers were unable to add any more runs in the bottom of the inning after stranding a pair of baserunners.
Flaherty (2-5) took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks across 1.2 innings of work. Rinker allowed three runs on four hits and two walks in 4.2 innings of relief.
Ural finished the game 2-for-4 with one run, with six other Tigers recording one base hit each.
Friday
The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped its series opener against Northwest Missouri State Friday evening (April 5) at Larks Park, 3-2. The Tigers (20-15, 8-13 MIAA) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth, but the Bearcats (16-19, 8-13) hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to take the lead for good.
The teams were locked in a pitchers’ duel through much of the contest, with neither side scoring a run until the sixth inning. Tiger starter Ty Riley worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the first with a strikeout and a groundout before allowing no more than one baserunner in each of the next four innings.
Bearcat starter Quinn Mason retired the first six batters before Justin Lipka reached on an error to start the third inning. The Tigers had two more runners reach base via error in the fourth and fifth innings, but did not record a base hit until the sixth inning.
Northwest Missouri State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth when reliever Tanner Vaughn gave up a leadoff single. The Bearcat runner moved up 90 feet on a groundout before stealing third and coming in to score on an errant throw.
The Tigers responded in the home half of the inning when Trey DeGarmo picked up the first FHSU base hit, a leadoff double into the right-field corner. Brady Kreutzer followed with a double off the wall in right, tying up the game with his 34th RBI of the season.
Vaughn worked around a pair of two-out walks in the seventh to strand two men in scoring position before working around a single in the eighth, giving the Tigers a chance to take the lead in the home half of the inning.
The Bearcats went to the bullpen in Jake Ciafullo to start the eighth, who promptly issued a leadoff walk to Cesar Saavedra. The leadoff hitter moved to second on a Kreutzer sacrifice bunt before advancing to third on a groundout. Elliott Herrmann came through with a big two-out base hit, singling through the hole at short to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.
Saavedra made a great catch in foul territory to start the ninth inning, collecting the ball just before running into the wall in right field. But with one out the Bearcat eight-hole hitter sent a double just inside the third-base bag and the nine-hole hitter followed with a line-drive home run over the fence in right field, quickly giving the visitors a 3-2 lead. Northwest’s Jacob Gajic came on to collect his fifth save of the season, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Riley worked five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out three batters. Vaughn (3-1) took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks alongside one strikeout. Northwest Missouri State held a 7-4 edge in hits, while the Bearcats had three errors compared to just one on the Tigers.