Larks' World Series notes
August 13, 2003
By NICK SCHWIEN
Hays Daily News
WICHITA — The Hays Larks have hit the ball hard at the plate all tournament long at the National baseball Congress World Series. But in each of the team’s four games thus far, they have been robbed of hits by great defensive plays.
Tuesday against Prairie Gravel, it was no different.
Craig Cooper hit a long, towering fly ball to center field in the second inning. But the center fielder ran down the ball at the warning track, hauling it in with an over-the-shoulder grab.
In the fourth, Cooper had another long fly ball caught near the warning track in right. The same was true for Jeff Bieker in the third.
“ … We just can’t find the holes,” said second baseman Pete Maropis, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored. “But sometimes you can look at that in a good way. Maybe we’ll save those hits for later in the six-team field.”
STILL LOADED
The Larks will have to work their way through the consolation bracket in order to reach Saturday’s final. That will mean the team has to win games Thursday and Friday, along with two title games Saturday.
But the pitching staff is ready. Only Ryan LaMotta, who pitched a complete game Tuesday, is not available for Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Hays manager Frank Leo was undecided on who would start Thursday’s game, depending on the matchup with the Larks’ opponent.
Right-hander Landon Harper — who started the tourney opener — is 6-1 and available, along with left-hander Tommy Hottovy (7-2) and right-hander Chris Ofat (6-0). All three were in the starting rotation this summer.
Harper hasn’t pitched since the opener, while Hottovy has been used sparingly out of the bullpen. He did pick up the win in the opener and pitched in the win over Nevada.
Ofat got the win in Hays’ second game at the World Series.
“We have the pitching depth to get us that far,” LaMotta said. “No one’s giving up. We’re going to give it a shot until we’re done.”
NOTEWORTHY
Tuesday’s game took only 1 hour and 31 minutes, thanks to the pitcher’s duel between LaMotta and three different Prairie Gravel pitchers. … Hays has battled its way through the consolation bracket before. In 2000, the team lost its first game of the tourney before winning seven in a row to reach the title game before falling short to the Liberal Bee Jays. … Another Jayhawk League team, the Nevada (Mo.) Griffons, was eliminated Tuesday after a 6-4 loss to the Seguin (Texas) SMI Steelers. Hays defeated Nevada Monday night to drop the Griffons into the loser’s bracket. … Hays, Prairie Gravel, Seguin, the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters, Chinese Taipei, the Havasu (Ariz.) Heat, the Wichita Braves and the El Dorado Broncos are the remaining teams in the tourney.