ARKADELPHIA – Freshman
Hudson Waits made his collegiate baseball debut with a pinch-hit home run in the top of the eighth inning, which held on to give the Ouachita baseball team a 2-1 victory over Fort Hays State at home on Friday in the 2026 season opener.
Waits' go-ahead homer came on a 1-0 pitch from FHSU reliever Kaleb Carpenter and went deep over the fence in left center. Ouachita scored its only other run in similar fashion on a solo blast from
Garrett Graham to break the ice in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Ouachita pitchers
Chase Oberle,
Braden Tucker, and
Andrew Hayden combined to give up just one FHSU run on three hits, striking out nine and walking four. Oberle tossed the first six, giving up just one run on two hits with five strikeouts and no walks.
Tucker worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh and Hayden allowed only one baserunner per inning in the final two frames.
Ouachita had four hits as a team scattered around four different players.
The Tigers are back in action on Saturday at home against Arkansas-Fort Smith. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Rab Rodgers Field.
