FHSU sweeps series

Hays, KS - Fort Hays State defeated Northwest 9-8 in Hays, Kansas, to sweep the series on Saturday, May 7, 2016. The game took 2 hours and 25 minutes to complete. The announced attendance of 125 fans enjoyed the game in beautiful sunny and 80 degree weather. With the loss, Northwest's record fell to 24-26, 19-20 MIAA. With the win, FHSU's record ended at 23-26, 17-21 MIAA. Fort Hays used two innings to do all the damage they needed to win the game when they scored 4 runs in the 4th and 5 runs in the 5th. Northwest would score in 5 different innings but came one run short of tieing the game. All nine Bearcat starters hit at least 1 base hit in the game. The difference in the game was the defense as Northwest was charged with 2 errors that led to 4 unearned runs.

Offense - Jay Hrdlicka was the Bearcat MVP in Game 3. In total, Jay went 3 for 5 (including a home run and a double) with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored as the DH. Ozzie Adams went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a walk as the second baseman. Jake Lewis went 3 for 5 (including a double) with 1 RBI as catcher. Kevin Handzlik went 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs as the first baseman. Nick Gotta went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI, 1 run scored, and 1 walk as short stop. Garrett Fort went 1 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a sacrifice hit as center fielder. James Holler went 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs as the left fielder. Aaron Barratt went 1 for 5 with a run scored as the right fielder. Nick Howard went 1 for 5 with 1 RBI at third base. In total, Northwest scored 8 runs off of 16 hits, 8 RBIs, 2 walks, 1 strike-out, and left 10 runners on base.

Defense - Northwest was charged with 2 errors that led to 4 unearned runs in the game.

Pitching - Brad Roberts earned the start for Northwest but a series of bloop doinks and an error led to 4 unearned runs in the game. In total, Brad worked 6.1 innings, allowed 12 hits, 9 runs (5 earned), 1 walk, 4 strike-outs, and hit 1 batter in the game. Jimmy McElwain came into the game in the 7th inning and worked the final 2 outs. In total, Jimmy worked 0.2 of an inning, allowed 1 hit and no runs. In the 8th inning, Carson Smith came into the game and worked a perfect 1.0 inning, allowed no hits, no runs, and no base runners.

Next - The Bearcats earned the 8th seed in the MIAA post-season tournament. This season the MIAA baseball post-season will match-up the top 8 teams in a double-elimination tournament. The winner will be the MIAA Conference Championship. The tournament will be played on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. St. Charles is a western suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. The tournament will start May 12, 2016, and a champion will be crowned no later than Sunday, May 12, 2016. According to the MIAA website, Northwest will play Central Missouri at 4pm on Thursday, May 12, 2016. Should the Bearcats win, they will play the winner of Missouri Southern/Missouri Western on Friday, May 13, 2016, at 7:30pm. Should Northwest lose to Central Missouri, the Bearcats will play the loser of Missouri Southern/Missouri Western on Friday, May 13, 2016, at 12:30pm.

Go Cats!!
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