HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State softball team dropped a pair of games on Saturday (Feb. 17) in the first day of the FHSU Crossover Tournament. The Tigers fell to No. 12 ranked Harding in the first game, 8-0 in five innings, then fell in a nine-inning international tiebreak affair with Wayne State, 7-6.
 
No. 12 Harding 8, Fort Hays State 0 (5 inn.)
 
The Tigers fell by run rule in their first matchup Saturday, an 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Bisons. FHSU scraped together two hits in the contest, but couldn't get past second base after a Bailey Kennedy double to center in the second inning.
 
Lily Sale recorded the other hit for the Tigers in the bottom of the third frame with a single to center field.
 
Sierra Rodriguez pitched 3.1 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while striking out two batters. Hailey Chapman came on in relief, throwing 1.2 innings. Chapman surrendered two more runs on four hits while also picking up two strikeouts.
 
Wayne State 7, Fort Hays State 6 (9 inn.)
 
Unlike the shortened first game, the Tigers' second contest was determined in the ninth inning after they crawled back in both the seventh and eighth innings to force more softball, eventually falling to the Wildcats, 7-6.
 
The Tigers had their fair share of opportunities to score after stranding 14 runners on base in nine innings of play. Wayne State led 4-0 halfway through the fifth frame before the Tigers countered with a couple runs on singles from both Lily Sale and Terran Caldwell to lead off the inning. Sale came around to score on a Candace Bollig RBI single up the middle, putting the Tigers on the board. Caldwell scored on the very next play, cutting the Wildcats lead in half, 4-2. Neither team was able to capitalize on anything in the sixth after the Tigers left the bases loaded. FHSU pulled even with WSC in the seventh inning. Bailey Boxberger roped an RBI triple down the left field line, scoring Grace Philop to make it 4-3. Boxberger crossed the plate one play later on a single from Sara Breckbill with two outs, giving the Tigers life by sending the game to extras.

Using the International Tiebreaker scenario, WSC picked up a two run lead in the eighth before Caldwell used an RBI single to score Jeni Mohr and Sarah Kay drew a bases loaded walk, extending the game another inning. The Wildcats scored another run in the top of the ninth, ending up as the decisive run of the contest after a comebacker to the pitcher and a groundout to shortstop left runners stranded at second and third for the Tigers in the bottom half of the inning.

Hailey Chapman took the loss for the Tigers in the second game, going the distance. She allowed seven runs (five earned) on 12 hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

FHSU is back in action Sunday (Feb. 18), wrapping up the crossover tournament with an 11 am meeting with Upper Iowa and a 1 p.m. date with Rogers State. Both games will be held at Tiger Stadium.