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ORTS Friday • May 16,2003 • The Hays Daily News • B3FHSU: Sterling’s homer sparks team• CONTINUED FROM PAGE BlThen in the second, Sterling tied the game with a homer over the wall in right.The Tigers would eventually strand runners at first and third when the inning ended, but Sterling had provided a spark.“I think it really got us up, really got us going a bit, Sterling said about only his second homer of the year. It kind of opened the gates, but Western Oregon kept battling.The Wolves took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth before the FHSU bats got hot. The Tigers entered the game with a .379 team batting average — best in Division II.Sterling walked to start the fourth, then sophomore Chris Steffens hit a two-run homer to right field to give FHSU a 3-2 lead. It was the start of a five-run inning for the Tigers. Junior Jeff Runyon drove in a run with a single, and senior Ben Tinius capped the scoring with a two-run single.Western Oregon senior starter Donavan Martin was taken out af-s ter Tinius' single. It was his worst outing of the year. On two otheri occasions, Martin had given upthree runs in six innings.But just as soon as the Tigers got the momentum, the Wolves took it back by scoring four runs in the top of the fifth to tie it at 6-6.... The big inning that game was the top of the fifth after we scored five,” Fornelli said. If we can throw a zero, that really changes things a bit. They just kept pounding, pounding away.”College tournamentsNCAA Dlv. II West Region ChampionshipsCompeting teams — 1. Sonoma State (Calii.) University (44-13-1); 2. Fori Hays Slate University (44-13); 3. Western Oregon University(40-13); 4. University o* Caltfowte-Davis (32-22;.• Thursday’s results •Cal-Davis 12, Sonoma State B Fort Hays 9, Western Oregon 6• Saturday's games *Noon (Game 3) — Sonoma State vs. West* ern Oregon.3:30 p.m. (Game 4) — Cal-Davis vs. Fort Hays.7 p.m. (Gome 5) — Sonoma State-Western Oragon winner vs. CaJ-DsvJs-Forl Hays loser.* Sunday’s games ♦1 p.m. (Game 6) — Winner Game 4 vs Winner Game 5.4:30 p.m. (Game 7) — Second championship game (if necessary).Sterling started the bottom of the fifth with a single to right field, and Steffens followed with another single. Junior Brad Fannin reached on a throwing error by Western Oregon junior reliever Jesse Hcdcen to load the bases.Junior Jerod Goodale walked to drive in a run, and junior Chris Lipowicz hit a sacrifice fly to give FHSU an 8-6 lead before the inning ended with a double piayKeeping momentum on your side is definitely a factor you're looking for,” said Sterling, who combined with Steffens to go 5-for-7 with five runs scored and four RBIs.Sterling added an RBI single in the sixth to push the lead to 9-6.He had a big day for us...” Fornelli said about Sterling. “He’s a good left-handed DH, and he’s doing great things. ...Western Oregon pushed a run across in the seventh to pull within 9-7. With two outs and a runnerat third, senior reliever Ben Ford got Gardinier to pop up behind home plate, and catcher Goodale made a sliding catch at the backstop for the third out of the inning.The Wolves struck for another run in the top of the eighth off FHSU junior reliever Kelly Geb-hart to crawl within 9-8.Knight, who went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, led off the ninth with a single, and was sacrificed to second.But senior Justin Trout came in for Gebhart and struck out Gardinier on three pitches.“That’s really big for confidence,” Trout said. “If you can get a guy out with three pitches, then you can keep momentum on your side ...”Trout then got a groundout to earn his second save of the year. Senior Landon Harper (10-1) allowed seven runs — six earned — on 10 hits in six-plus innings, with three strikeouts and no walks to pick up his team-high 10th win.“It was a great game for that kind of momentum,” said Western Oregon coach Terry Baumgartner. “We were just hoping to get that momentum one more time....”Winning the opener was key, Fornelli said.“It’s a huge relief,” he said about winning the first game. “I thought we played a little tight... But some guys came out of the pen and found a way to get it done.“Anytime you can win the first game of a four-team tournament, you have to feel pretty good.”
Newspaper Details
The Hays Daily News
Hays, Kansas, US
Fri, May 16, 2003
Page 32
Full Page
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Hays P.
KS, USA 20 Jun 2023
Other Publications Near Hays, Kansas
The Hays Free Press
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