NW Kansas News

Tigers Split MIAA Opener with Bearcats

Fort Hays State split its MIAA-opening doubleheader with Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Mar. 11). The Tigers held on for a 2-1 win in game one, but fell 4-0 in the second contest. The Tigers moved to 12-8 overall, 1-1 in the MIAA, while the Bearcats moved to 13-7 overall, 1-1 in the MIAA.

 

Game 1: Fort Hays State 2, Northwest Missouri State 1

Savanah Egger held on for a complete-game, 2-1 win in the first contest of the day. She held the Bearcats scoreless through six innings and then fought off the potential tying run late after allowing consecutive doubles to open the seventh. She ended the Bearcat rally with a fly out, strikeout, and a pop up to end the game, stranding the potential tying run at third.

 

Egger and Northwest Missouri State pitcher Breck Dickey were matching each other with zeros on the scoreboard through four innings until FHSU finally broke through in the fifth. Lexi Mohr started a rally with a two-out walk. Reese Curry pinch ran for her and then after fouling three straight pitches off, Aubrey Martinez placed a hit perfectly down the right field line for a triple. That scored Curry and then Martinez came in to score on an RBI single by Peyton Shepard, who finished the first contest 3-for-3 at the plate. Shepard also had a pair of stolen bases in the game.

 

That was just enough offense for Egger who allowed just two hits through the first six innings. She finished with four hits allowed and just one walk, while striking out six to move to 6-3 on the season. Dickey also threw a complete game with four hits allowed, one walk, and eight strikeouts, moving to 3-4 with the loss despite holding the Tigers scoreless in five of six innings.

 

Game 2: Northwest Missouri State 4, Fort Hays State 0

Fort Hays State struggled to get anything going against Jadyn Streigle, who threw a complete game shutout for Northwest Missouri State in the second contest. She retired the first 13 batters of the game for FHSU until Carly Stuke broke up her no-hit bid in the fifth with a single up the middle. Streigle finished with just three hits allowed and had one strikeout, though she induced plenty of weak contact by the Tigers throughout the game.

 

Aside from Stuke, Peyton Shepard and Regan Curry were the other Tigers to record hits in the game, all singles.

 

Bailey Carlson took the loss for FHSU, throwing the first 2.2 innings before handing the ball to Morgan Schmidt. Carlson allowed three runs to the Bearcats in the third, but finished with four strikeouts. She is now 3-3 on the season. Schmidt continued her high strikeout rate for the season with eight in 4.1 innings of work. She mowed down the first four Bearcats she saw. Schmidt gave up a run in the sixth and surrendered four hits.

 

The Tigers host Missouri Western in another MIAA doubleheader on Sunday at 12 p.m. at Tiger Stadium in Hays. The Griffons enter at 10-3 overall and it will be their first conference doubleheader of the season.

Original source can be found here.