COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Combining for 32 hits at the UCCS Mountain Lion Park on Friday afternoon, the Adams State University Grizzly baseball team opened the 2023 campaign with a lot to smile about. The Grizzlies had 17 of those hits in the first game to win 14-11 before they had the rest of them in a 13-12 loss against the Fort Hays State University Tigers in a non-conference neutral site doubleheader.
Game 1: Adams State 14, Fort Hays 11
After a scoreless first inning by both squads, the Tigers stuck first with a solo home run and manufacturing two un earned runs to take a 3-0 lead to the third inning. The Grizzlies, the visitors on the scoreboard, cashed in on seven hits to score eight runs. After an error in the bottom of the third, the Grizzlies took an 8-4 lead.
Fort Hays saw another home run in the fourth inning before
Paul Giglio returned to the diamond with
another RBI single to make the score 9-7 after five innings.
The sixth inning both teams score runs but the Tigers threw a two-run single and a two-run home run to tie the game at 11.
Matt and
Mike Bathauer than took the game into their hands in the top of the seventh inning as they both had clutch hits including a two-RBI single to make the score 14-11.
Despite three errors the Grizzlies had 17 hits in the game, three of which were doubles.
Kamden Kautz earned the win as he tossed 1.1 innings and surrendered four runs but
Joseph Raker earned the saw by striking out two of the final three batters and needing just 12 pitches to do so.
Game 2: Fort Hays 13, Adams State 12
The Grizzlies and Tigers traded runs in the second inning before
Joseph Raker doubled down the third baseline to score a run and give the lead back to the Grizzlies in the fourth inning.
Mike Bathauer doubled to center field to score Raker and make the score 4-1.
FHSU capitalized on a throwing error to scratch across a run and then exploding for nine runs in the frame to make the score 10-4 entering the fifth.
The Grizzlies than scored eight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 12-10 lead before surrendering the winning runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Up Next
The Grizzlies will remain in action at Mountain Lion Field on Saturday as the Tigers and Grizzlies will have another doubleheader on Saturday with games scheduled for 11 and 1:30 p.m. each day.
