SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Fort Hays State was just one out away from a shutout win in its first game Friday (Feb. 9), but a two-out rally led to an extra-inning loss against Cameron University before falling by run-rule to Tarleton State in game two. FHSU fell in eight innings to Cameron, 3-2, then in five innings to Tarleton State, 16-3. The Tigers moved to 1-4 overall on the season.
 
Cameron 3, Fort Hays State 2 (8 inn.)
 
Hailey Chapman was throwing a gem against Cameron through 20 outs in the first contest Friday. However, in a stunning turn of events, she and the Tigers could not find the 21^st before Cameron rallied for a pair of runs in the blink of an eye. In just two batters, the Aggies used a pair of timely hits to turn a 2-hit, 12-strikeout shutout for Chapman into a tie game. With the international tiebreaker incorporated right away in the eighth, the Tigers could not score before the Aggies pushed across a run in the bottom half of the inning to steal away the game.

The Tigers broke a scoreless tie in the fifth when Sara Breckbill blasted a solo home run to left center field. Singles by Candace Bollig and Bailey Boxberger in the seventh set up an RBI double by Lily Sale, pushing the Tiger lead to 2-0.
 
Chapman was nearly unhittable through the first 6.1 innings, racking up 12 strikeouts with just one hit allowed. A first inning single was all that interrupted what could have been a no-hit bid at that point as Chapman sat down 13 consecutive batters from the third inning all the way to one out in the seventh. The only other blemish besides the hit was a batter hit by pitch to start the third. Annie Combs disrupted Chapman's dominance in the seventh with a one-out double.
 
The double did not rattle Chapman as she induced an infield pop up out of a pinch hitter. All she needed was the final out, but a stroke of luck for pinch hitter Raley Long triggered an instant two-run rally. Long lined a ball up the middle for a hit and Combs wheeled around third on the play and scored. Lauren Mason re-entered the game to run at first base for Combs, stole second, then came in to tie the game on a single to left center field by another pinch hitter, Madyson Marvulli. Chapman finally got another infield pop up to end the inning, but not before the Aggies found a way to force extra innings.
 
The game went to the international tiebreaker right away. Terran Caldwell started on second base to open up the top of the eighth, but could not get to third right away as Grace Philop was ruled out on batter's interference. Two groundouts later, Caldwell was stranded at third leaving the Aggies with a chance to win the game in the bottom half of the inning. Following a walk to the first batter to set up a force at second and third, the Aggies executed classic international tiebreaker procedure by getting a sacrifice bunt down to move the runners up to third and second with one out. Then Kaylyn Smith hit a ball to second that Veronica Knittig mishandled and the winning run came across to score for Cameron.
 
Chapman took a tough luck loss in 7.1 innings pitched, while Rylee Wilmon benefitted from her team's late rally to get a complete-game win. Wilmon moved to 2-1 on the year by allowing two runs on six hits, while striking out six. The Aggies moved to 5-2 overall on the year with the win.
 
Tarleton State 16, Fort Hays State 3
 
Fort Hays State held an early 2-0 lead in its second contest of the day, but undefeated Tarleton State put up bunches of runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to down FHSU 16-3 by run rule. Tarleton State (7-0) produced at least seven runs for the sixth time in seven games this season
 
Bailey Kennedy put the Tigers on top with a two-out, two-RBI single in the bottom of the first, but starting pitcher Carrie Clarke ran into control issues that triggered an eight-run second inning for the TexAnns.
 
Clarke issued a pair of walks before Marisa Flores doubled down the right field line to plate two runs and tie the game. She retired just one batter in the inning. Megan Jamison relieved Clarke and struggled with command as well after getting the second out of the inning. A full-count walk issued to Maddie Quintanar opened the floodgates to a big inning for Tarleton State. Jamison issued two more walks in a row, one on five pitches and the next on four to force in the go-ahead run. A hit parade for the TexAnns broke out immediately after. An infield single plated the fourth run of the inning and a double plated two more before Jamison turned the ball over to Sierra Rodriguez, who also struggled. Rodriguez gave up a two-run single to the first batter she faced and allowed a walk before getting a fly out to end the rally. Three of the runs were Clarke's responsibility, while five charged to Jamison's outing.
 
Rodriguez went on to allow eight runs on eight hits over the next two innings before Clarke re-entered the pitching circle with one out in the fourth. Clarke got a line-out double play to end a five-run fourth for Tarleton State.
 
A pinch-hit single in the fifth inning by Jeni Mohr would help the Tigers get their final run of the game. Moving up to second on a Terran Caldwell walk, Mohr came in to score from second on a two-out RBI single by Grace Philop. Tarleton State picked up the final out immediately following to invoke the run rule after five innings. Clarke took her first loss of the season in the pitching circle.
 
Haley Freyman of Tarleton State picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over four innings of work. TSU reliever Julia Wernet pitched the fifth inning, allowing one run on two hits and a walk to the Tigers.
 
Fort Hays State looks to get back in the win column on Saturday when it faces Eastern New Mexico at 10 am and St. Edward's at 4:45 pm.