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Tigers finish series sweep
3/29/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Fort Hays State University senior first baseman Dusty Washburn led off the fourth inning Saturday by golfing a low pitch from Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University right-hander Seth Tucker to deep center. Washburn, at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, is a player that isn't known for his speed.
But Washburn hustled around second base and delivered a head-first slide into third. The hit marked Washburn's third triple of his career and brought the Tigers in the dugout to their feet. Several players, especially sophomore infielder Kyle Stacken, smiled and laughed at Washburn's hit and slide.
The triple encapsulated an enjoyable afternoon and series for a club that struggled entering the weekend. The Tigers delivered 12 extra-base hits, including four homers, en route to an 18-8 victory and four-game series sweep versus the Bearcats at Larks Park.
"It was fun, it was probably one of the funnest series that we had played yet this year," junior second baseman Tyler Robbins said. "I think that showed on the field. We played hard, but we still had fun."
Before it faced Southwest Baptist, a senior-laden Fort Hays club had lost 10 of its previous 12 games. The Tigers held a team meeting Tuesday, won all three games in Thursday's tripleheader and run-ruled the Bearcats on Saturday. The 18 runs and seven doubles set season-highs, while Robbins hit two homers and scored four runs in his best day of the season. Junior right fielder Greg Bieker hit a grand slam, senior third baseman Alex Harvey homered and the Tigers scored at least two runs in every inning. Senior Brian Thompson (1-3) worked 51รขÑ3 innings for the win.
"I think that is how we were expecting to hit the entire season," Robbins said. "Hopefully, we stay with the approach that we had today."
Fort Hays outscored Southwest Baptist 41-15 in the four games, tallied double figures twice and improved to 18-16 overall and 10-10 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Southwest Baptist dropped to 7-20 overall, 5-13 in the MIAA. After several weeks of struggling, the Tigers yielded a different demeanor.
"This is almost like a little bit of a burden was lifted off their shoulders," Fort Hays coach Rick Sabath said. "We just had a much, much more productive atmosphere in the dugout and on the field and the results showed that."
Before Thursday, Fort Hays had encountered a 2-10 stretch, all against conference teams, where it averaged 4.3 runs per game. After practice Tuesday, the players held their meeting.
"It was frustrating," Sabath said. "The frustration level mounts and it becomes zero fun to play. We really tried to find a way for these kids to make it fun out here this weekend, and they did a good job of that."
Fort Hays bumped its record at Larks Park to 17-3, and featured a big weekend from Harvey.
The NCAA Division I transfer went 6-for-14 with two homers, four runs scored and 10 RBIs. He drove in four runs Saturday, including a three-run homer in the fourth.
"At home, it is just I think that everyone feels a lot more relaxed instead of trying to push so much," Harvey said. "I think that has kind of been what our problem has been so far this year. Everyone is trying to do too much. Here it is just a comfortable state. You do what you do every day in practice. It is the same atmosphere."
The Tigers led 7-2 after two innings and 10-2 after three. Robbins scored three runs in the first three innings, including a homer to left-center in the third. Robbins, who hit nine homers in 2008, hit his first one of the season in Thursday's tripleheader.
Still, Robbins wasn't pleased with his approach. He hit during inside practice Friday and "started to feel more comfortable," and that carried over to Saturday. Robbins focused on keeping his front side in.
"I was taking an inside swing on balls away and that is why I was just flaring balls all over the ball park," he said.
On both homers, he "was more disciplined," didn't lean over on his front side and smacked his second and third homers of the year.
Washburn, the conference's leader in homers, started a four-run rally in the fourth. He hit Tucker's pitch to the deepest part of the park in center field and didn't stop running until he slid into third. When Washburn stood up, every player was off the bench, smiling, clapping or laughing for the slugger in a fun win for Fort Hays.
"Dusty is not someone you see typically hitting a triple, but that's just what has turned around," Harvey said. "Usually, sometimes you will pull up at second. Just a little extra determination that keeps you going.
"That is a huge part of what feeds down through the lineup. Seeing someone like that hustle and leg a triple out makes it a lot more fun. That just turns it into enjoying the game a lot more," he added.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |
| MB | 02/21 | Mo. Southern | L 76-57 |