Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Tiger softball team picked up a season-opening sweep of Nebraska-Kearney in non-conference play on Friday (Feb. 8) at Tiger Stadium in Hays, Kan. Fort Hays State took game one 2-0 with Maddie Holub tying her single-game school record of 16 strikeouts, then took game two 4-1 to start the year 2-0. Nebraska-Kearney begins its season at 0-2.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 2, Nebraska-Kearney 0

The opener of the doubleheader was a pitcher's dual between Maddie Holub of FHSU and Becky Dunn of UNK, with Holub coming out on the winning end in shutout fashion.

Holub helped her own cause in the fourth with a single and stolen base, then came around to score on a single that died just in front of the outstretched Loper centerfielder by Courtney Dobson with two outs to put FHSU up 1-0. Holub scored the other run for the Tigers in the sixth getting on by single, then a single by Danie Brinkmann and a double by Amanda Vaupel would bring her around to give her a little more cushion in the pitching circle in the seventh.

It was plenty for Holub, who fanned 16 batters to tie her single-game record at FHSU, which she accomplished three times as a junior in 2012. She set the record in the season opener last year, also against Nebraska-Kearney in Hays, then matched the feat two times later in the year against Pittsburg State. This gave her two consecutive season openers with 16 strikeouts, which were both against the same school. She did labor a bit in the circle, allowing three hits and four walks as she threw over 120 pitches in the game.

Becky Dunn took the loss for UNK, despite scattering just six hits and walking just one. She had six strikeouts.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 4, Nebraska-Kearney 1

Fort Hays State jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage as Bianca Adame singled, stole a base, and later scored on a wild pitch from third, then Danie Brinkmann scored on a RBI single by Amanda Vaupel.

The Lopers cut the lead in half with a RBI single by Mackenzie Tomlin in the third, but FHSU freshman starting pitcher Paxton Duran would keep them scoreless the rest of the way. She worked out of trouble in the fifth with runners at third and first.

The Tiger offense gave Duran extra support in the bottom of the fifth with two more runs. An error by the Loper shortstop off the bat of Maddie Holub allowed Adame to come around and score from second base, then Brinkmann drove Holub home with a RBI triple to left field.

Duran worked around a pair of baserunners in the sixth and one in the seventh to pick up a complete-game win in her first collegiate start. She allowed just four hits and struck out three, while walking three batters. Brittnie Kreiser took the loss for UNK, going 6.0 innings with 10 hits and a walk allowed. Only two of the four runs she allowed were earned.

Fort Hays State returns to action in a week at the Bentonville Tournament in Bentonville, Ark. The Tigers play six games over the weekend there.