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FHSU baseball sees season come to an end
5/13/2011
By The Hays Daily News
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- During the regular season, the Fort Hays State University baseball team won three one-run games in a four-game series against Missouri Western State University. Junior closer Brett Macari earned the save in all three of those victories.
It appeared history would repeat itself in Thursday's opener of the MIAA postseason tournament, with the Tigers clinging to a one-run lead with one out to go and Macari on the mound.
But Macari gave up a two-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth, and Missouri Western defeated Fort Hays 5-4 to end the Tigers' season. Fort Hays finished the year 28-23 in the first year under Steve Johnson.
"Heartbreaking for the kids," Johnson said on his postgame radio show. "Going to be tough for them to swallow and take. ... They should hold their heads up, they came out and played the game the right way. Just didn't make plays when we had to."
Senior starter Andy Lewton threw 124 pitches in eight innings, allowing two runs on 11 hits. Macari, who had 12 saves this season, came in to start the ninth.
Macari (4-1) allowed a leadoff single, then another runner got aboard on an error by junior shortstop Sheldon Howell to put runners on second and third.
A groundout to first got the Griffons within 4-3. The next batter hit a grounder to short, and Howell came home with the throw to get the runner at the plate for the second out.Then Isaac Rome hit an opposite-field, two-run homer to left field for a 5-4 Griffon lead.
"Brett Macari came in -- the key was the ground ball," Johnson said. " ... I thought we recovered when we got the huge play at the plate.
"It just wasn't meant to be. That extra out allowed one very dangerous hitter get one last at-bat, and he delivered."
Fort Hays took the lead in the first on senior Sloan Souliia's two-run single. The Tigers got two more in the fifth on RBI singles from junior Brandon Hoefler and Soulia.
Ryan Carbah (3-3) pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to get the win for Missouri Western (26-23).
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |