Larks fall, still alive at NBC
Aug. 7, 2007
By MIKE KESSINGER
Hays Daily News
WICHITA — When the Hays Larks entered the NBC World Series, manager Frank Leo had the opportunity to bring in three new players. Instead, the long-time manager opted to not add any new names.
Through a 12-inning battle Monday evening at Lawrence Dumont Stadium, it was the togetherness Leo had hoped to have by keeping the same team that almost lifted the Larks past the Havasu (Ariz.) Heat. In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be for Hays in a game that concluded at 12:10 a.m. this morning. Instead, the Heat, which added three players to a roster and entered the tournament with just two losses, flexed their muscle in the 12th inning, and stayed in the winners’ bracket with an 11-7 win. It was the Larks first loss of the World Series, and a game which included a power outage that kept the teams from playing for an hour and a half.
“You still have to go out and play the game between the white lines, and I thought we did a tremendous job tonight of doing that,” Leo said. “Our hitters responded every time (Havasu) put something up. We knew they were a good offensive ball club.”
The Larks responded to everything the Heat put on the scoreboard through 11 innings.
Eric Rose (3-2), the Larks third pitcher, kept Havasu from scoring in his first two innings of work before starting to wear down. Rose walked the first two batters on nine pitches in the 12th, and was lifted for reliever A.J. Dunn. The Heats’ Jared Stanley doubled off Dunn, scoring one run, then a Cody Neer sacrifice fly scored Ricky Orton. Former Wichita State Shocker, and one of Havasu’s additions for the World Series, Drew Moffitt, finished the scoring with a powerful two-run home run. It was the Heat’s third home run of the game.
“Our guys did a tremendous job tonight,” Leo said. “Not disappointed at all in the effort, but I’m very disappointed in the outcome but the effort of our ball club tonight was tremendous.”
In the bottom half of the 12th, the Heat’s Rema Garcia finished the win off by getting Rich Michalek to ground out with Tyler Barnett and Mike Brownstein on second and first.
The Larks’ best chance for a win came in the 10th inning when Barnett walked to lead off the inning, stole second, then moved to third on a perfectly laid bunt by Brownstein. A line out by Michalek and ground out by Ricky Angel to second baseman Tim Carrier ended the Larks’ chance.
“I thought for sure with one out, and I’m on third, I’m thinking maybe a chopper, maybe a past ball, anything can do it,” Barnett said of the situation in the 10th. “We lined out to the second baseman, then the ground out. It’s just baseball. I thought for sure we were going to win.”
No one could have doubted the Larks’ ability to come back. Four times before Havasu scored four runs in the 12th inning, Hays had come back from one or two run deficits. The final time Hays tied it was in the ninth when Angel tripled to lead off the inning, then after Dusty Washburn was hit by a pitch, Eric Morrison flew out, Kyle Carney struck out. On the Larks’ last chance, Adam Muenster slapped a single into center field, scoring Angel, and making it 7-7.
The loss sends the Larks into a Wednesday game against the winner of today’s Vienna Senators-Seattle Studs contest. As hard as it was to lose, Barnett said he believes the Larks won’t take the loss as a negative, but more a step in the right direction, after proving they could play well against the power-heavy Heat.
“Now, if we win we’ll play this team again, and I think it kind of gives us a little bit of motivation,” Barnett said. “I want to win so we can see this team again. We know we can beat them. I know that.”
The Larks finished with 13 hits and Angel had three of them with two RBIs. Barnett was one of six Larks with just one hit, but he did reach base his final four at-bats, a bunt single and three walks.
Rose took the loss, giving up two earned runs on two hits, and two walks. Brock Nehls started the game for Hays. He went seven innings, striking out eight, while giving up eight hits, with one walk, and six runs. Four of the runs were earned.
Sports reporter Mike Kessinger can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 127, or by e-mail at
mkessinger@dailynews.net.
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