Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – After falling behind 5-1, the SWOSU Baseball team used a rally that included a four-run seventh inning as the Bulldogs defeated Fort Hays State 7-6 in non-conference action at the SWOSU Athletic Complex on Wednesday afternoon.
An infield single from
Trent Troxell scored
Dalton Daniels in the bottom of the first inning, allowing the Bulldogs to take a 1-0 lead over the Tigers after the first inning. FHSU quickly responded, however, with one run in the second and two runs in both the third and fifth innings as they built a 5-1 lead on SWOSU.
SWOSU's comeback began in the fifth inning as
Chris Graham singled up the middle, stole second and scored on an RBI double from Daniels, who would later score on an RBI triple to dead center by
Jacob Spring that cut the deficit to 5-3 after five frames.
Taylor Weifenbach, who entered the game in the fourth inning, kept the Tigers in check in the sixth and seventh innings, setting the stage for the Bulldogs to retake the lead. Daniels walked to lead off the inning before an FHSU error and bunt single by Troxell loaded the bases.
Spring went down swinging before
Greg Bruno got the Bulldogs within one run on a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Daniels, making it 5-4. The dagger came on the following at-bat as
Mason Marshall crushed a three-run home run off the scoreboard in left field to put SWOSU on top 7-5.
Dillon Freie relieved Weifenbach in the eighth and worked around one walk and a double as Daniels made a pair of strong throws from shortstop to cut the Tigers down with just one run in the inning.
Kent Callison took the hill in the ninth and picked up the save, recording the final two outs of the game with a pair of runners on base.
Daniels and Troxell had multi-hit games while it was Marshall who had the most offensive damage with hit one hit accounting for three Bulldog runs. Daniels scored three times in the effort and was part of a pair of double plays turned by the SWOSU defense.
Weifenbach got the victory, improving to 3-1 on the year, with 4.0 innings of action that saw him allow four hits and two runs while striking out three Tigers. Callison earned his first save of the season by facing five batters in the ninth as he retired the side.
"I'm proud of our guys today because this was a really good, complete win with a lot of guys helping out," SWOSU Coach
Zack Saunders. "
Mason Marshall came through in the clutch with the go-ahead home run, he got a good pitch and jumped on it and put us on top, and our pitchers battled to keep us within striking distance. This is a really good win for our guys and I hope we can carry it over into the weekend."
SWOSU bounces back to improve to 11-14 on the year heading into a three-game set with Arkansas-Fort Smith this weekend, beginning Friday night at 5:00 pm from Crowder Field in Fort Smith.
