Larks pull away to take opener
August 6, 2003
By The Hays Daily News
WICHITA — If the Hays Larks needed a wakeup call to put the 69th annual National Baseball Congress World Series in perspective, Tuesday might have been it.
Hays’ summer-collegiate baseball team took advantage of shoddy defense by the Natchitoches (La.) Braves to claim a 7-2 win in the Larks’ opener at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Hays broke open a close game with four runs in the eighth inning.
Larks manager Frank Leo also took note of Jayhawk League rival El Dorado losing its first game of the tournament, 6-5 to Edmond, Okla., on Sunday.
“We talked about that” before the game, said Leo, whose team finished ninth a year ago at the season finale. “Anything can happen in this tournament.”
Hays (41-10) will play the winner of today’s game between the Seattle (Wash.) Studs and Santa Maria (Calif.) Indians Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Right-hander Chris Ofat (5-0) is the probable starter.
Hays had to overcome a slow start at the plate Tuesday to stay in the winners’ bracket. The Larks were held hitless over the first three innings and were out-hit 12-9 for the game.
But the team’s defense was stellar the entire nine innings, and three pitchers combined for a solid performance.
Natchitoches scored first on an RBI double by Drew Dickerson with two outs in the top of the fourth.
Hays answered with a run in the bottom of the inning. Cody Ehlers doubled to center field with one out and eventually scored on a throwing error by the Natchitoches left fielder after a two-out single by Jeff Bieker.
Brad Wiggins hit an RBI single with two outs in the top of the fifth off Hays starter Landon Harper to give the Braves a 2-1 edge. But with runners at first and third, Ryan LaMotta relieved Harper and got a strikeout to end the inning.
Dan Schwartzbauer singled with two outs and stole second in the bottom of the fifth. He knotted the game at 2-2 when he scored on Randy Curtis’ single.
Craig Cooper walked after Curtis’ hit, and Ehlers reached on a fielder’s choice — the second Natchitoches error in the inning — to load the bases. But Aaron Batlle grounded to the first baseman for the final out, leaving the bases loaded.
“It was one of those games where we had a couple opportunities, didn’t get the key hit,” Leo said.
The Braves threatened again in the sixth. But with the bases loaded and two outs, Tommy Hottovy relieved LaMotta and got a groundout to end the inning.
Hays got its first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth. Shawn Smarsh singled with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He scored when Adam Cox reached on a throwing error by the Natchitoches shortstop — the Braves’ fourth of the game — to give the Larks a 3-2 lead.
Hottovy retired the side in the seventh before allowing a leadoff single to Dickerson in the eighth. But the left-hander picked off Dickerson, then got a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Leo said Hottovy, normally a starter and the only left-hander on the roster, will work out of the bullpen to stat the World Series.
“Tommy Hottovy is going to come out of the ’pen,” Leo said. “Not necessarily the whole Series.
“He’s our only lefty; Tommy is a team player. He did a tremendous job (Tuesday).”
Natchitoches reliever Dan Bria walked Mark Lyons and Schwartzbauer with one out in the bottom of the eighth, then the Larks greeted reliever Jon Christian with RBI singles by Curtis and Craig Cooper for a 5-2 lead.
After Christian balked, Ehlers singled to center to drive in Curtis and Cooper, boosting Hays to a 7-2 cushion.
Hottovy allowed a single to start the ninth, then retired the next three batters. Hottovy (7-2) allowed no runs on two hits in 31/3 innings, with four strikeouts and no walks.