HAYS, Kansas – The Fort Hays State University baseball team completed a three-game sweep of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats Sunday at Larks Park.
 
The Tigers posted a 10-8 win in a slugfest in the opener and then did not let off the gas pedal in scoring a 14-3 triumph in game two.
 
Northwest has lost six straight games and has fallen to 12-18 overall, 10-14 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State improved to 8-20 overall and 8-16 in league play.
 
GAME ONE
The Bearcats and Tigers combined for seven home runs in the opener as Northwest smacked five over the fence, but FHSU came out on top, 10-8.
 
Northwest came into the contest having been 8-0 in games in which it has out-hit the opposition. But FHSU changed that by scoring 10 runs on eight hits, while Northwest tallied eight runs on 11 hits.
 
Northwest tallied a first-inning run on a two-out, RBI single from Ryan Koski that plated Donovan Warren. FHSU's Grant Schmidt put the Tigers on top with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom half of the first.
 
The Bearcats drew even in the second on a leadoff homer to left field from Peter Carlson. It was Carlson's seventh home run of the season.
 
Carlson went yard again in the top of the fourth with one out for his eighth long ball of 2021. Carlson went deep to left field to give the Bearcats a 3-2 advantage.
 
FHSU's Garrett Stephens launched a one-out, two-run home run to left to put the Tigers back into the lead in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Bearcat starter Zach Wiese limited the Tigers to only two hits in the first four innings, but was greeted with four consecutive singles to start the fifth. FHSU batted around and plated four runs in the fifth to take an 8-3 lead over Northwest. The final two runs in the fifth scored for the Tigers as batters were hit with pitches with the bases loaded.
 
Northwest cut into the FHSU lead in the top of the sixth on Matt Gastner two-run homer with nobody out. Gastner's blast scored Koski, who had led off the inning with a single to left center, left the Bearcats trailing 8-5. Carlson drew a walk after homering in his first two at bats. Ethan Judd sacrificed Carlson to second. Jacob Pinkerton connected on his first career home run to left-center to pull the Bearcats to within 8-7 of the Tigers.
 
FHSU scored on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-7 lead.
 
Pinkerton secured his second homer of the game with a two-out solo bomb to right field in the eighth that pulled Northwest to within 9-8.
 
FHSU added an insurance run in the eighth to take a 10-8 advantage into the ninth.
 
FHSU's Jacob Ensz put the Bearcats down in order in the ninth to earn a save.
 
Wiese pitched into the eighth inning and was relieved by Alex Slocum. Wiese allowed eight hits and 10 runs (all earned) while striking out two and walking two. Slocum pitched the eighth innings and tallied two strikeouts as he worked around a walk.
 
GAME TWO
The Tigers took advantage of Bearcat starter Zach Shadlow by scoring the game's first 13 runs in through three innings of play in cruising to a 14-3 victory.
 
Shadlow allowed 10 runs (five earned) on only four hits and four walks. Shadlow hit a batter and struck out two in 2 1/3 innings of work.
 
The Tigers out-hit the Bearcats, 8-7, but took advantage of seven walks and four Northwest errors.
 
Northwest escaped a shutout by posting three runs in the sixth. Ryan Koski doubled to center to plate Drew Mackie and Matt Gastner followed with his second homer of the day to give Northwest three runs against the Tigers.
 
Third baseman Thomas Colton was the lone Bearcat to record two hits in the second game as he went 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
NOTES: Peter Carlson has connected with 18 career home runs as a Bearcat, which ranks tied for No. 8 on the school's all-time home run chart … Carlson has 22 career collegiate home runs as he hit four round trippers for Nebraska-Kearney as a freshman before transferring to Northwest … it was Carlson's second two-homer game of the season and third of his career … Carlson tallied two homers vs. Minot State in this year's season-opener on Feb. 22 and he also had a two-homer game vs. Emporia State on May 5, 2019 … Gastner has hit seven home runs this season and 13 in his Bearcat career … Pinkerton came into the game having not homered in his first 190 at-bats as a Bearcat.