Plenty of game action awaits Larks
Jul. 5, 2007
By RANDY GONZALES
Hays Daily News
Ernie Banks would just love to be in a Larks uniform in the next few weeks.
Banks, the former Chicago Cubs shortstop, was known for his enthusiasm for the game, fond of saying “Let’s play two.”
The Larks will be playing more often than they would like, trying to make up games postponed by rain earlier in the season with a stretch of doubleheaders later this month.
The Larks’ series at Liberal will now be five games, instead of four. There now will be a doubleheader Friday to make up a game rained out in Hays on June 13.
There have been other tentative schedule changes for the Larks, due to the rainouts. The July 13 home game against Joplin, Mo., is now a doubleheader, as are July 20 and July 22 home games against Nevada, Mo.
From July 13 to July 22, the Larks are now scheduled to host a 15-game home stand, with one off day in those 10 days. Hays will play four doubleheaders in five days.
“If our starters go deep in the ball game, we’ll be fine,” said Hays manager Frank Leo, who plans to use an eight-man rotation in that stretch.
Leo, with more than two decades as the club’s manager, doesn’t remember a stretch of so many games in so few days.
“It just creates havoc,” he said.
It’s not just the 12-man pitching staff Leo is concerned about.
“Position players you need to think about, too,” Leo said. “They don’t have time off.”
Leo plans to rotate his position players in the lineup, giving players part of a doubleheader off.
Hays swept a Jayhawk League doubleheader from Dodge City Tuesday night at Larks Park, winning the opener 3-1 and the second game 8-2.
In the opener, Hays trailed 1-0 before scoring three runs in the sixth. Sean Finley’s RBI groundout tied it, and Kyle Carney’s two-out, two-run single gave the Larks the lead.
Right-hander Brock Nehls (3-0) pitched a complete game, striking out 10, including the side in the Dodge City seventh to end the game.
In the second game, Hays (16-7 overall, 12-6 Jayhawk) broke a 2-2 tie in the third when Eric Morrison doubled and scored on Ryan Lush’s single.
Hays added two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth. Two runs scored in the sixth on sacrifice flies by Mike Brownstein and Rich Michalek, who also hit an RBI triple in the first and later scored in the inning on a wild pitch.
Starter Richard Timbrook (2-1) picked up the victory for the Larks.
Hays returns to action today with a nonleague game against Junction City at Larks Park. First pitch has been moved up half an hour to 7 p.m.
Left-hander Mark Tanner (1-1) is the probable starter for the Larks.
Sports editor Randy Gonzales can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 130, or by e-mail at
rgonzales@dailynews.net.
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