Larks stay alive at tournament

By NICK McQUEEN

Hays Daily News

WICHITA — The Hays Larks have had their fair share of heroic performances to reach the semifinals of the 73rd annual National Baseball Congress World Series.

The Larks improved to 5-1 in the sesaon finale with a 5-3 victory over Jayhawk League champion Derby late Friday night at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The final out was actually recorded after 1 a.m., with the Larks set to play again Saturday night against the Crestwood (Ill.) Panthers. The winner of that game is scheduled to play again today against undefeated Havasu (Ariz.), needing to take two wins against the Heat to claim the title.

The Larks have seen heroics in the form of hitting, pitching and defense. The game against Derby, which finished 4-2 at the tournament and tied for fourth place, was no different.

“Up and down the lineup, just so many heroes out here today,” said Hays manager Frank Leo, after his club upended the hometown favorite Twins. “This club has wanted to stay here.”

Hays starter Gary Pierpont didn’t have his best stuff for Hays. He gave up a three-run homer in the second inning to Derby’s Danny Brown, a bomb that went screaming for the Arkansas River deep beyond right field.

Enter Eric Rose, who will be a sophomore left-hander for the University of Nebraska. He kept putting up zeroes and produced his longest outing for the Larks this summer, and his longest outing since playing in Montana before his freshman season with the Cornhuskers.

“I haven’t really gone that long in about a year, since I was playing (American) Legion ball,” said Rose, who pitched 52â„3 innings of scoreless relief to improve to 4-1 on the season. “All you can really do is go out and throw strikes, get some ground balls, and place every pitch you can.”

A.J. Dunn, a Michigan State University right-hander, picked up his second save of the tournament, getting the last four outs.

“Gary was just never in rhythm. It was the same way down in Derby earlier this season,” Leo said. “He just wasn’t comfortable out there tonight. In a game like this, you have to make changes quickly, before it gets out of control.

“We probably don’t win that ball game if Eric Rose doesn’t do what he does,” Leo added.

Meanwhile, the Hays offense needed a boost and got it in the form of catcher Mark Rockey, who got things started in the third inning with a leadoff double to left field and scored two batters later on a Derby error, the Twins’ first of two errors in the inning. Mike Brownstein also scored on a throwing error in the inning to narrow the deficit to 3-2.

“We’re a streaky hitting team. When we get hot, we get hot and can put some runs on the board,” said Larks third baseman Kyle Carney, who later provided some big heroics. “We’re hot at the right time. You see that with all the hits we’re getting and the clutch hits were getting as well.”

At 12:49 a.m. Saturday, Carney’s clutch hit came with one out in the sixth inning after Eric Morrison reached base on a single to center field. Carney sent a line drive over the clock in left-center field for a two-run homer to give Hays (39-18) the lead.

“Coach put a hit-and-run on first pitch, and the ball was up and in and I tried to get on top of it, and it just took off,” Carney said.

The homer gave Hays a 4-3 lead, which Rose held. He loaded the bases in the eighth inning and was replaced by Dunn, who got Cole Waddell to ground out to end the threat.

“I’m a two-pitch guy and if I can get pitches over for strikes, I know I’ve got a good enough curveball to keep them on their heels a little bit, and I really had it tonight,” Rose said.

Hays scored an insurance run in the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Rockey, scoring Adam Muenster, who walked and stole second.

Dunn retired Derby (40-18) in order in the ninth, and the Larks survived to play another day.

The Larks won their third straight game since dropping a 12-inning heartbreaker to Havasu, which remained undefeated with a 7-6 win over the defending NBC champion, the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters, in earlier action Friday.

“A resilient bunch,” Leo said of his players. “The Havasu game could have knocked a lot of teams flat on their backs. This club responded tonight.”

NBC Notes

— In 52â„3 innings, Rose gave up just three Derby hits with six strikeouts and three walks. It was his second decision of the tournament after suffering the loss against Havasu.

— Morrison and Rockey each had two hits for the Larks, and Carney drove in two runs with the home run. It was the Larks’ 13th home run of the summer and just Carney’s second.

— Brownstein added another run to his total Friday and had 11 through six games and leads the tournament in runs scored, stolen bases (7) and batting average, .455.

— The El Dorado Broncos were eliminated by Crestwood, 3-2 in 10 innings, after an error by the El Dorado shortstop scored the go ahead run with two outs.

Sports reporter Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 128 or by e-mail at

nmcqueen@dailynews.net.