{"id":59203,"date":"2021-03-30T10:18:21","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T15:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59203"},"modified":"2021-03-30T10:18:23","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T15:18:23","slug":"tigers-look-to-build-off-performance-in-game-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=59203","title":{"rendered":"Tigers look to build off performance in Game 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Ethan Booe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For hitters, being able to see\nthe pitch is crucial to making solid contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s been a key element the\nlast few games for the Fort Hays State University baseball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, that\u2019s also led to the\nTigers seeing gradual improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take, for instance, last\nweekend\u2019s three-game series with Missouri Southern State University, which\nentered the weekend ranked No. 9 in the latest NCAA DII poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being held to only two\nhits in the series opener Friday night, the Tigers erupted for 29 hits in the\nlast two games \u2013 including a season-high 18 in the series finale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe type of hitters we have on\nthis team have so much talent, but we just haven\u2019t been able to sync up and\nperform at the same time,\u201d said junior outfielder Grant Schmidt. \u201cSo Game 3 was\na glimpse at what we are capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seeing\nthose signs of improvement is critical for the Tigers this season, who are 2-17\noverall and 2-13 in the MIAA as head coach Jerod Goodale works on rebuilding\nthe squad in only his third year (second \u201cfull\u201d season) with the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After\ndropping Friday night\u2019s game 12-2 and the first game of Saturday\u2019s doubleheader\n16-6, FHSU found itself in a slugfest in Game 2 before eventually falling\n18-17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third game of the series was a hard-fought battle from beginning\nto end. The game featured seven lead changes throughout the nearly four-hour\ncontest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schmidt was key in the game, going 3-for-5 at the plate while\ndriving in four runs and scoring four times himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kade Wallace, a junior utility player, was happy to see consistent\noffense throughout a full nine innings. He collected three hits, drove in two\nruns and scored four times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI felt like even though we\nended up losing Game 3, it was one of our most complete offensive games we have\nput together all year,\u201d Wallace said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That offensive output included\nfive home runs, a season-high for FHSU. Missouri Southern is giving up only\n1.71 home runs per game, the 14th<\/sup>-best mark in all of NCAA Division\nII after the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tigers have been plagued by injuries at key positions this\nyear, especially the pitching staff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior pitcher Ryan Ruder is happy about the way the team has been\nable to overcome that adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe two freshmen pitchers,\nJayce Meyer and Dustin Menard, have taken on big roles as freshmen and have\nbeen competitive,\u201d said Ruder, who is second on the team in innings pitched\nthis season. \u201cWe\u2019ve also had a couple guys unexpectedly change roles or\npositions and have been able to quickly adapt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schmidt is excited about the progress made by Meyer and Menard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese two have raw talent and\nhave worked very hard since they got here in the fall,\u201d Schmidt said. \u201cJust\nseeing how they are performing right now in a tough situation with very little\ncollege experience has everyone excited to see what they\u2019re capable of as they\nmature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After an offensive explosion of 17 runs against a top-10 team, the\nTigers believe they have an ample amount of confidence going forward in the\nseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all know what we\u2019re capable\nof, and we all know how close we are to turning things around,\u201d Ruder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schmidt said the performance in the final game against the Lions is\npromising for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo matter who we are facing,\nwith the talent we have, we can definitely hang with the best,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tigers go on the road this weekend to face Northeastern State\nin Tahlequah, Okla.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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