Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
The Fort Hays State softball team picked up a 7-2 victory over No. 6 seed Pittsburg State to open the MIAA Centennial Postseason Tournament on Thursday evening (April 26) in Overland Park, Kan. The Tigers, seeded third, followed that with a 2-1 win over No. 2 seed and nationally ranked Missouri Western in the night cap. That victory, which improves the Tigers to 31-17 on the year, sets up a showdown with top-seeded Emporia State on Friday afternoon with a spot in the championship on the line.
 
(3) Fort Hays State 7, (6) Pittsburg State 2
Box Score
 
Taylor Nelson put Fort Hays State on top 1-0 with a solo home run to open the game and the Tigers would not look back as they defeated the Gorillas for the third time in the past week. FHSU added three runs in the bottom of the third with Maddie Holub scoring on a wild pitch before Kellsi Olsen hit a two-run single to push the lead to 4-0.
 
Pitt State scored their own run on a wild pitch in the fourth, but Holub came back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning which extended the lead to 6-1. She also accounted for the Tigers final run of the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to give the Tigers a 7-1 lead that Pitt State would only slightly cut into with a solo homer in the top of the seventh to make the final margin 7-2.
 
Holub, making her third start against the Gorillas since last Saturday, pitched a complete game and again struck out 16 batters, tying her own single-game school record. In the process, she picked up her 18th win of the year and passed Kayla Rupa for the FHSU record for career strikeouts. The 18 wins is also a Fort Hays State single-season record.
 
Holub, Nelson and Olsen each had a multi-hit game for the Tigers, who outhit the Gorillas 10-4 in the game. Holub was 3-for-4 with three RBI while Olsen had two hits and drove in two.
 
(3) Fort Hays State 2, (2) No. 21 Missouri Western 1
Box Score
 
The Tigers again struck with a home run in the bottom of the first inning, this time with Holub doing the honors and giving FHSU the early 1-0 lead. There was little offense the rest of the way, with Holub and MIAA Pitcher of the Year Jackie Bishop engaging in a pitcher's duel.
 
Holub allowed seven hits, but walked just one and worked out of several tough situations, causing the Griffons to leave seven runners on base. Missouri Western tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run. Later in the fourth, the Griffons had runners on second and third with one out, but the ever-resilient Holub got a strike out and infield pop-up to get out of the inning without further damage done.
 
Fort Hays State would not let the game stay tied long. Callie Wright walked to leadoff the fourth and she advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt from Adriana Wortley. Amanda Vaupel came up with a clutch two-out single to right field which allowed Wright to score and put the Tigers back on top 2-1.
 
A fatigued Holub limited the Griffons to just one hit, and two total baserunners, over the final three innings. The Griffons did get a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, but first team All-MIAA second baseman Taylor Nelson gunned out a Missouri Western runner at the plate and Holub picked up one of her eight strikeouts in the game to end the Griffons rally. It proved to be the final rally by Missouri Western after the Tigers retired the side in order in the top of the seventh inning to preserve a 2-1 win.
 
Holub, pitching her second complete game of the evening, struck out eight more batters in the game to push her season total to 303 and her career mark to 626, a new Fort Hays State career record. She also has upped her record to 19-8 on the year and lowered her ERA to 1.59.
 
 
Fort Hays State will now face No. 1 seed Emporia State on Friday (April 27) at 3:00 pm. The winner of that game clinches a spot in the championship on Saturday. FHSU was swept at Emporia earlier this season by scores of 2-1 and 6-4.