HAYS, Kan. – The Missouri Western baseball team came up on the short end of two offensive explosions Friday at Fort Hays State. The Tigers swept a doubleheader on day one of the series, winning both games in walk-off fashion.
GAME 1: Fort Hays 10, MWSU 9
The Tigers came out on top of a back and forth game that saw both teams come back from three runs down, Fort Hays accomplishing it twice. Fort Hays tied the game at nine on a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, then won the game with a bases loaded sacrifice fly.
The Griffons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first with an RBI single from Mitch Thorman and a two-run home run from David Glaude. Fort Hays jumped ahead 5-3 with five runs in the second. MWSU got one in the third, then hit three home runs in a four-run fourth inning to take an 8-5 lead. Trevor LaHonta led off the inning with solo shot down the left field line. Cosimo Cannella hit a two-run shot to center and Glaude followed with his second of the game. Hays got within two with a solo home run in the bottom half of the fourth but the Griffons made it a three-run lead with Glaude’s fourth RBI of the game making the score 9-6.
Glaude finished game one 3-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Ryan Degner was 3-5, hitting a double and a triple and scoring two runs. Dylon Koch and Cannella each had two hits. Mike Calimeno was tagged with the loss. He pitched two thirds of an inning in relief of starter Banks Born. Calimeno gave up two runs on three hits. Born went six innings, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits.
GAME 2: Fort Hays 17, MWSU 16
Runs, runs and more runs was the theme of game two. Fort Hays scored in every inning except the fourth and the Griffons scored in all but the third, sixth and ninth innings. An RBI single up the middle brought the winning run home with two out in the bottom of the ninth.
This one was really about offense and not much else. The Griffons had 18 hits, which included four home runs, two triples and a double. On the other side, Fort Hays matched MWSU’s home run total and added two doubles with no triples. MWSU used five pitchers, including game one starter Banks Born. Born took the loss, his first of the season, going two thirds of an inning.
Glaude hit his third home run of the day in the eighth. His solo shot to left tied the game at 15. The next batter, Cody Childs hit his own solo homer to left that put the Griffons up by one. Fort Hays tied the game in the bottom half of the inning and won it on the single in the ninth.
Missouri Western led by five, 12-7, after scoring six in the top of the fifth. Down by one going into the fourth, LaHonta hit his second home run of the day, Childs added an RBI single, Corbin Duffy drove in two with a single and Ryan Degner hit a three-run home run down the left field line to give MWSU a brief five-run advantage.
Mitch Thorman, Duffy and LaHonta all had three hits. Degner went 2-6 with three RBIs and two scored. Orencio Fisher was 2-6 with four RBIs and a runs scored. Childs drove in two and scored two. Duffy drove in three and scored three times. Starter Josh Lansangan gave up seven runs on six hits in two and a third innings of work. All five Griffon pitchers surrendered at least one run.
The losses dropped MWSU to 18-14 overall and 12-10 in the MIAA. The two teams play another doubleheader on Saturday.
— MWSU Sports Information —