March 4, 2023 – Emporia State fell to Fort Hays State 4-3 on Saturday afternoon in a back-and-forth battle from Glennen Field.
Both the Hornets and Tigers jumped out to quick starts in the first inning. Fort Hays State took a 1-0 lead over Emporia State with a two-out single in the top half.
Following two quick outs for the Hornets to begin the first, Emporia State loaded the bases with a single, walk and a hit by pitch. With the bases loaded,
TJ Racherbaumer worked a full count before drawing the second walk of the inning to tie the game 1-1.
With the game still tied 1-1, the Tigers would regain the lead in the top of the fourth inning with another two-out single. Similar to the first, Emporia State responded with a run of their own, this time on an RBI single from
Chandler Bloomer.
In the sixth inning, Bloomer struck again with another RBI single to give the Hornets a 3-2 lead over the Tigers.
In the top of the seventh, Fort Hays State tallied a pair of two-out RBI singles to regain a 4-3 lead over Emporia State, which they were able to hold onto for the remainder of the game.
Emporia State was able to apply pressure to Fort Hays State in the bottom of the ninth as
Brenden Tauber and
Kadyn Williams both reached base and eventually stole second and third as Williams represented the winning run for the Hornets.
The Hornets stranded Tauber and Williams as they fell to Fort Hays State 4-3 in game two of the series.
Chandler Bloomer went 3-4 with 2 RBI to lead Emporia State.
Emporia State will take on Fort Hays State in the series finale on Sunday, March 5 from Glennen Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
