Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Fort Hays State continued its hot play of late to sweep the Saturday doubleheader from the nation's top ranked team, Central Missouri, by scores of 6-1 and 8-7. The Tigers used a great pitching effort from Shawn Lewick in game one, then Jay Sanders delivered a walk-off single in the ninth inning of game two to lift the Tigers to a pair of victories.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 6, Central Missouri 1

Box Score

Shawn Lewick threw a complete game to help the Tigers to a 6-1 victory in the series opener. Lewick blanked the Mules for six innings before finally allowing a run in the seventh.

Lewick worked around runners in scoring position for the Mules in the first and second innings. He then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth with one out, getting a strikeout and a lineout to third base to end the inning. With one out in the seventh, the Mules loaded the bases once again on Lewick, but he surrendered just a fielder's choice RBI for the second out then ended the game with a flyout to short left field.

Lewick finished the game with seven strikeouts. He allowed seven hits and walked five. The only run he allowed was earned.

Mace Krol put the Tigers on the board early with a sacrifice fly RBI in the first inning. Anthony Salinas pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second with an RBI single. Krol returned to the plate in the third and delivered a two-run home run to right field to give FHSU a 4-0 cushion. JC Ochoa gave the Tigers even more insurance in the fifth with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0.

Kurtis Schulyer took the loss for Central Missouri, going 4.2 innings in his start. Five of the six runs he allowed were earned.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 8, Central Missouri 7

Box Score

Central Missouri looked to be methodically pulling away with game two, leading 5-0 after four and a half innings. However, the Tiger bats finally came to life in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to make it an interesting game the rest of the way.

Sheldon Howell sparked the rally with an RBI single to make it 5-1, followed by a Mace Krol sacrifice fly RBI to make it 5-2. A Ryan Busboom RBI double pulled the Tigers within two at 5-3 going to the top of the sixth.

FHSU tightened the screws a bit more in the seventh when Krol delivered an RBI single to make it 5-4, but the Tigers ended the inning with a runner at third on a line drive double play, with the runner getting doubled off first base.

Central Missouri pushed its lead back to three in the top of the eighth with two more runs to make it 7-4 on a Kevin Gratza RBI double and Ben Cox RBI single.

Brandon Hoefler delivered a huge blow for the Tigers in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run home run. An error by the Mule third baseman allowed the runner to get on before the Hoefler blast. The Mule third baseman then committed another error to allow Shane Wade to reach base. A sacrifice bunt by pinch hitter Chris Santoscoy set the table for an Anthony Salinas RBI single that tied the game.

After a leadoff walk by the Mules in the ninth against FHSU reliever Tyler Treinen, head coach Steve Johnson went to the pen for the fifth time in the game to get closer Brett Macari. Macari worked around the walk, getting the last two batters of the inning for UCM to strikeout swinging stranding  the runner on second.

After Ryan Busboom nearly hit a ball out of the park to right-center field to open the Tigers' half of the ninth, JC Ochoa drew a walk and Brandon Hoefler singled to put runners at first and second with one out. Hometown product Jay Sanders delivered the walk-off game winning single to left field as Ochoa just beat the tag attempt of the catcher on a throw that was to the first base side of home plate. The game-winning hit came off reliever Aaron Baker, who entered the game just before Sanders' at bat. The game-winning run belonged to UCM reliever Travis Unthank.

Even in the 8-7 win, the Tigers worked around 15 Central Missouri walks in the game. The Mules stranded 17 baserunners in the second game.

Macari picked up the win in his one inning of relief. He is now 2-0 on the season. Travis Unthank took the loss for UCM, allowing the final two runs of the game to FHSU. Just one of the runs (the game-winner in the ninth) was earned.