By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State continued its strong season with a gritty 5-4 comeback victory over Pittsburg State on Sunday (March 23) afternoon at Al Ortolani Field. The Tigers overcame an early deficit and relied on a clutch home run from Derek Woolwine, along with strong relief pitching from Kaleb Carpenter and Brandon Chavez, to secure the win.
Pittsburg State wasted no time getting on the board in the bottom of the first. Alex Rodgers led off with a triple to right-center, putting immediate pressure on Tigers’ starter Trevor Baugh. Rickey Sanchez capitalized with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Rodgers to give the Gorillas a 1-0 lead.
Fort Hays answered in the third inning. After Cooper Howell reached on a single and Cesar Saavedrafollowed with a hit of his own, a wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position. Trey DeGarmo came through with a single up the middle, plating Saavedra to even the score at 1-1.
Pittsburg State quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the third. Rodgers, who was a sparkplug at the top of the lineup, reached again-this time with a single to left. He swiped second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Sanchez. Moments later, Bugner dropped a bunt single, allowing Rodgers to cross home and put the Gorillas back in front, 2-1.
The Gorillas tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Rodgers drew a walk and advanced to third on a single by Sanchez. Bugner continued his hot day at the plate with another RBI single, scoring Rodgers. Later in the inning, Hayden Dyer added a sacrifice groundout to drive in Sanchez, extending Pittsburg State’s lead to 4-1.
Despite the three-run deficit, Fort Hays refused to back down. In the top of the sixth, Woolwine started the rally with a single through the right side. Kreutzer followed with a base hit of his own, putting two aboard with no outs. Elliott Herrmann then delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle, scoring Woolwine to cut the deficit to 4-2. Kreutzer later came home on a fielder’s choice by Luis Ayala, making it a one-run game at 4-3.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game in the seventh in dramatic fashion. Saavedra ripped a double to left to start the inning, setting the stage for Woolwine. The senior first baseman launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall, flipping the script and giving Fort Hays a 5-4 lead.
Once the Tigers took the lead, the bullpen took control. Kaleb Carpenter entered in the fifth inning and silenced Pittsburg State’s offense, tossing 2.2 scoreless frames while striking out five and allowing just two hits. Brandon Chavez came in for the eighth and picked up a crucial six-out save, his eighth of the season. He worked a flawless eighth and, after issuing a one-out walk in the ninth, retired Rodgers and Sanchez to secure the win.
Key performances include Derek Woolwine who led the Tigers offensively, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, including the game-winning two-run homer in the seventh. Cesar Saavedra also had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double and scoring twice. Trey DeGarmo drove in a key run in the third, while Elliott Herrmann provided an RBI single in the sixth.
With the win, Fort Hays improved to 19-6 overall and 14-2 in MIAA play, strengthening their hold on first place in the conference standings. The Tigers have been dominant in league play, having won every three-game series so far this season.
Saturday
PITTSBURG, Kan. – No. 27 Fort Hays State dropped a tough road contest against Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon, falling 5-1 in an MIAA matchup at Al Ortolani Field. The Tigers (18-6, 13-2 MIAA) took an early lead in the fourth inning, but a three-run sixth inning propelled the Gorillas (18-6, 8-6 MIAA) to victory.
Both teams struggled to generate offense early, as starters Paul Panduro and Maddox Thornton worked through the first three innings without allowing a run. Fort Hays State finally broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth. Elliott Herrmann singled up the middle with one out before Trey DeGarmo followed with a single of his own to right-center. After a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, Cooper Howell lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing Herrmann home for the first run of the game.
Pittsburg State threatened in the bottom half of the inning but was turned away by Panduro. The right-hander worked efficiently through five innings, but the Gorillas finally broke through in the sixth. A two-out rally started with a walk to Drew Bugner, followed by another free pass to Hayden Dyer. Austin Warkins then delivered an RBI single to right, tying the game at 1-1. Moments later, Jake Skaggs lined a two-run double into the gap, scoring both Dyer and Warkins to give the Gorillas a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers looked for an answer in the seventh, but Pittsburg State’s defense turned a key double play to keep FHSU off the board. The Gorillas added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning when Bugner singled to left and later came around to score on an error.
Spencer Maley took the mound for Fort Hays State in the eighth, but Pittsburg State managed to tack on one more run. Fort Hays State had one final chance in the ninth, but Pittsburg State closer Cooper Crouch shut the door with a clean inning.
The Tigers were limited to just seven hits on the day, with Cesar Saavedra leading the way at 2-for-4, including a stolen base. Herrmann, DeGarmo, Howell, Ayala, and Woolwine each added a hit, but FHSU struggled to find timely offense.
Panduro took the loss after going 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with five walks and one strikeout. Brett Jacobs and Maley combined for 2.1 innings in relief, striking out three. Thornton earned the win for Pittsburg State, tossing eight innings of one-run ball while scattering seven hits and striking out four.
Friday
PITTSBURG, Kan. – A trio of Brady Kreutzer home runs helped the 27th-ranked Fort Hays State baseball team rally to defeat Pittsburg State in extra innings on Friday (March 21), with the Tigers winning 9-8 in 10 innings. The MIAA-leading Tigers improved to 18-5 overall and 13-1 in league play after their sixth-straight win, while the Gorillas dip to 17-6 on the year and 7-6 in conference action.
Fort Hays State had an uphill climb all afternoon after the Gorillas jumped in front with five runs in the first two innings. The Tigers broke through with two runs in the top of the third after Jamison Armstrong led off with a single. Derek Woolwine later worked a two-out walk, extending the inning for Elliott Herrmann who plated a run with a single down the right-field line. Trey DeGarmo followed with an RBI double to right center, helping FHSU close within 5-2.
Kreutzer drilled his first home run of the day in the next inning to pull the Tigers within 5-3 before Pittsburg State plated another run in the home half of the fifth. Kreutzer answered right back with his second home run in as many at bats, crushing a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left to make the score 6-4.
Ty Riley completed his outing with a scoreless sixth inning before Kaleb Carpenter came on to record a pair of scoreless innings of relief, stranding runners in scoring position each time. Woolwine added another Tiger home run in the top of the seventh, closing the gap to one run, 6-5.
A pair of free bases opened the top of the eighth before Tony Moore delivered a pinch-hit double into the right-field corner, giving Fort Hays State its first lead of the day at 7-6. It was Moore’s first at bat in three weeks after suffering an injury in the series against Missouri Western. Zane Knox later added another run with a two-out single to right, giving FHSU an 8-6 advantage.
Brandon Chavez opened the ninth inning with a strikeout before the Gorillas rattled off one single, one triple and one sacrifice fly to level the score at eight, sending things to extra innings. Kreutzer clubbed his third home run of the game with one out in the 10th, sending an 0-1 pitch soaring over the wall in left center. Chavez (4-0) then locked down the win with a groundout and back-to-back strikeouts in the bottom of the inning.
Kreutzer’s three home run performance is the most in a game for the Tigers since 2012 when Ryan Busboom hit three against Bethany (4/24/12) and is the most by a Tiger against a Division II team since Kyle Stacken did so against Metro State in 2010 (3/23/2010). It is the 12th time a Division II player has accumulated three home runs in a game this season and just the second-such performance by an MIAA player on the year.
Kreutzer was 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs, while DeGarmo also collected three of FHSU’s 16 base hits. Knox, Woolwine and Cesar Saavedra all had two hits on the day, with Woolwine scoring twice and Moore plating two RBI.
Riley ate up six innings on the mound, allowing six runs on nine hits and six walks while striking out six batters. Carpenter retired six of the eight batters he faced over two scoreless frames, allowing a pair of doubles while striking out one batter. Chavez struck out three batters in 2.0 innings of work while allowing two runs on three hits.
Fort Hays State is now 2-0 in extra inning matchups this season.