Can't
get to the game? Don't worry, we've got ya covered.
Tigers hope to pack Larks Park
3/27/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
Hays Daily News
Rick Sabath, Fort Hays State University head baseball coach, found the right formula for his struggling Tigers last Saturday against Missouri Southern State University. Fort Hays had dropped four games in a row, including the first contest of the Southern series.
Sabath, though, made a few lineup changes and gave sophomore right-hander Donnie Moore his first start of the season. The result yielded the biggest offensive onslaught in years and two blowout victories in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association action, the first time Fort Hays has won back-to-back games this season.
Fort Hays (6-14 overall, 3-5 MIAA) outscored Missouri Southern 40-12, including 24 runs in the first game, the highest single game total since a 24-3 victory against University of Nebraska-Kearney in 2005, a stretch of 170 contests.
"That was the best day we have had," Sabath said.
On Friday night, at the annual "Pack the Park" night at Larks Park, Sabath will use the same lineup that produced the two victories when Fort Hays plays Northwest Missouri State University (14-7, 4-2).
"I felt really good about the lineup combination that we had (on Saturday)," Sabath said. "We are going to run that back out again Friday and hopefully we can get some more good results."
The Tigers will also try to win their first series all season.
"It will be very important for us to try and really put not only an inning or a game together, but a series together," Sabath said. "If we are going to do any of the things that we want to this year, this is going to be an important series for us. It is important to put together some consistency. That has been our downfall all year."
Fort Hays will likely see one of its biggest crowds all season when it opens the series at 7 p.m. Friday for "Pack the Park," a tradition that started in 2002.
Fans can enjoy concession specials, inflatable games, promotions and can purchase Tiger baseball equipment at the Tigers Fort.
"Pack the Pack" T-shirts are available for $10 in the Fort Hays athletic department and at the game Friday. A benefit donation will also be collected for the family of Tiger junior second baseman Bret Fortman, whose mother was critically injured in a house fire.
"It is a blast," junior first baseman Dusty Washburn said. "We appreciate everybody that comes out and supports us. It makes it a little more exciting. It should never mean more because there are more people in the stands, but it raises the emotion a little bit. Having people up there yelling when you get a hit or someone strikes out or makes a good play, everybody feeds off of that."
Sophomore left-hander Eric Gilliland will pitch Friday night. Gilliland, the team's best pitcher in the first part of the season, was hit hard for the first time last Friday against Missouri Southern and enters with a 1-3 record and 4.83 earned-run average.
Moore (1-0, 1.12 ERA) and sophomore left-hander Matt Augustine (1-4, 3.93) will pitch Saturday. The Sunday starter is undecided. Moore, who had made two appearances all season, pitched brilliantly in a 16-1 victory last weekend against Missouri Southern.
An oft-injured pitcher, Moore had Tommy John surgery several years ago and still feels some after-effects.
"He has been battling arm injuries since high school," Sabath said of Moore. "He battled that through his days at Butler County, he battled that since he has been here. There will be times when his fingers go completely numb. He has had a lot of really good outings. ... We were very pleased with the way he threw."
The offense, which is seventh in the MIAA in batting average, will use last Saturday's lineup against Northwest Missouri State. Shortstop Brent Biggs, usually the No. 2 hitter, will bat leadoff. Brent Becker will hit second, while Washburn will bat third. Ryan Majercik will have his fourth start this season in the cleanup spot.
Tyler Robbins will hit fifth for the third time all year, and Chase Schippers will bat sixth. Fortman, Greg Bieker and Justin Groff round out the order. None of the bottom three hitters have more than four starts this season in their respective spots in the order.
But Sabath and Washburn hope the new approach works again.
"Everything just clicked," Washburn said. "I don't think I have seen anything like that in quite awhile. That is obviously the team that we can be. Coach preached it to us Sunday after we got beat, the attitude that we brought to the ballpark the day before, when we scored all those runs, even Saturday when we got to the ballpark, everyone was upbeat, with a little pep in their step.
"We have to find a way to do that every ballgame," he added.
Sports reporter Conor Nicholl can be reached at (785) 628-1081 Ext. 127 or at
cnicholl@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
