HAYS, Kan. – Central Missouri and Fort Hays State played two incredibly entertaining games Friday afternoon with the two teams splitting the doubleheader. UCM came out on top in game one 3-2, and had a late rally to tie in game two, but lost in extras, 6-5.
Game one saw the Jennies work in and out of trouble in the circle and score just enough to win, while the Jennies scored four runs in the seventh inning to tie game two at five, but Hays pushed a run across in the eighth to earn a split.
Game One: Central Missouri 3, Fort Hays State 2 Jennies starter
Emily Robinson flirted with disaster all afternoon, but was able to pull off a magic act to earn her fourth win of the season. The Tigers loaded the bases in four separate innings, but failed to score in each as Robinson as up to the task each time.
FHSU left the bags full in each of the first three innings and again in the seventh. Robinson struck out the final two batters in the last inning to end the game.
UCM finally broke a scoreless tie in the fourth as Robinson was poised to help her own cause. She drove in
Lauren Mabe with an RBI single and came around to score herself on
Alex Leonhart's RBI double.
The Jens made it a 3-0 game when
Ali Jo Rogers scored
Austin Eickleberry with a groundout.
Fort Hays closed the gap to one, getting a pair of runs in the sixth, but Robinson pitched her way out of trouble to hang on for the win.
Robinson threw all seven innings and allowed two run on nine hits with six strikeouts and eight walks.
Madison Hood reached base twice with a single and a double and Rogers was 1-for-2 with a walk and two stolen bases.
Paxton Duran took the loss for Hays in the circle allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts and three walks. She threw all seven innings and went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Game Two: Fort Hays State 6, Central Missouri 5 – 8 Inn. Rogers led off game two with a bang, launching her first home of the season over the left-center field fence.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the second, getting a home run of their own and a two-out RBI double.
FHSU tacked on with three more in the fourth, knocking their second home run of the game, and plating a run on a Jennies error to take a 5-1 lead.
Unearned runs were the theme of the afternoon, as only five of the 11 runs scored were earned.
The Jens bats were quiet for most of the game after the leadoff home run from Rogers. Central Missouri left runners on base in four of the next five innings, six in total.
That never-say-die attitude that was so prevalent in last season's run to the Elite Eight showed up again in the seventh. Nine batters came to bat and the Jennies took advantage of three Tiger errors in the inning to score four, sending the game to extra innings.
Katie Giacone's pinch hit, two-out RBI single to score
Emily King capped the four-run frame.
But after the Jennies went down in order in the eighth, the Tigers collected three hits in the bottom half and Erin Elmore's two-out single to right, ended the game.
Giacone stayed in the game after she tied the game to make her first ever appearance in the circle for the Jennies. She ultimately suffered the loss, allowing four hits and one run in one and two-thirds innings.
Alexis Koop was the only Jennie with two hits. She had a single and a double and scored a run. Rogers went 1-for-5 with a home run.
Duran came on in relief and allowed the RBI single to Giacone, but picked up the win after throwing one and one-third innings.
The Tigers collected 10 hits in the game, three from Elmore and two from Chermayne Yago. Elmore and Courtney Dobson drove in a pair each and Dobson also scored twice.
Central Missouri has a quick turnaround for their double header against Nebraska-Kearney. UCM takes on the Lopers tomorrow afternoon, March 5 with a 12 p.m. first pitch.
