The Missouri Western baseball team continued to play well on the road sweeping a twin bill from Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon. Western won game one 5-1 and game two 9-2 improving to 33-14 overall and 26-11 MIAA.
Game 1: MWSU 5, FHSU 1
Griffon pitcher Brandon Simmons won his 11th game of the season pitching his 10th complete game in a 5-1 victory over Fort Hays State in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. The victory for Simmons ties AJ Huttenlocker’s single season record for wins in a season which was set in 2009. Simmons is 11-2 on the season.
Western scored in four of the Griffons seven innings which included two in the third inning. Western got on the board in the first when Spencer Shockley hit a sacrafice fly scoring Michael Schulze.
Hays scored their only run in the bottom of the second tying the score at one when Luke Kordsmeier singled to left field scoring JC Ochoa from second.
In the third Western went up 3-1 scoring two runs with two outs. Schulze reached on an error and then stole second. David Chew singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw to home and then Shockley reached on a throwing error which allowed Chew to score giving Western the two run lead.
Things stayed that way until top of the sixth when Grant Fink flied out to center field scoring Shockley and then in the seventh Schulze singled to center field scoring pinch runner Jack Bond from second.
Simmons set down the Tigers in order in the seventh allowing Western to pick up its 32nd win of the season.
Schulze led the charge for the Griffons going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
The Tigers had seven hits as six different Tigers got hits. Alex Ellison went all seven giving up five hits and three earned runs. He falls to 3-5 with the loss.
Game 2: MWSU 9, FHSU 2
Western got another strong pitching performance from Nik Jurado as he improved to 8-1 on the season throwing his fifth complete game of the season. Jurado scattered eight hits while striking out three in the victory.
Jurado gave up just two runs in the game which came in the fourth inning. Western jumped all over Tiger pitcher Jesse Hart scoring four runs on two hits in just an inning of work.
Western scored five runs in the first two inning with three coming in the first and two in the second. The Griffons tacked one more on in the sixth and three in the seventh on its way to their 33rd win of the season.
Schulze continued to swing the bat well going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Jimmy Smelcer and Spencer Shockley each had three hits as well with both scoring one run and batting in two.
The Tigers fall to 25-22 overall and 19-19 in MIAA play. The two teams wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon with a nine inning game starting at 12:00 pm.
— MWSU Sports Information —