Larks need win to stay alive
August 14, 2003
By NICK SCHWIEN
Hays Daily News
WICHITA — The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Unfortunately for the Hays Larks, they veered off the main path.
But one key thing remains unchanged — the end result is still within reach.
Hays’ summer collegiate baseball team fell into the loser’s bracket of the 69th annual National Baseball Congress World Series after a 2-1 loss to Prairie Gravel (Ill.) Tuesday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Now, the Larks will have to win a quarterfinal game at 10 p.m. today against the Santa Barbara (Calif.) Foresters to reach Friday’s semifinals. Santa Barbara, which is 5-1 in the tourney, rallied from an early 4-0 deficit Wednesday night to eliminate the El Dorado Broncos with a 5-4 win in the bottom of the ninth. A win in Friday’s semis would put Hays (43-11) in Saturday’s title game, where they would have to win twice.
“It’s not the road we want, but it’s the road we’re taking,” said Hays shortstop Dan Schwartzbauer. “It’s a tough loss when you feel like you outplayed a team. That’s tough.”
Pitcher Tommy Hottovy knows the season isn’t over yet as well.
“It’s like any tournament,” Hottovy said. “You’re not out until you’re out. If you’re still in the tournament, you still have a chance. It’s tough. … But we’re so close now. There will be six teams left (today), and if we win that, we’ll be in the Final Four. We just want to be one step closer every time.”
The Larks got a day off by losing Tuesday night. The last two undefeated teams played Wednesday night, with Prairie Gravel defeating the Havasu (Ariz.) Heat, 5-4.
“It’s still not a bad path,” Hays manager Frank Leo said. “We have a day off, and (today) there will be six teams left. Every team will have a loss but one. We’re still in a good position. It will give our pitchers a day to rest, which is always big in this tournament.”
Schwartzbauer said despite the loss, the Larks can’t lose focus on what can still be accomplished.
“I think the day off will help us forget about this one,” Schwartzbauer said of Tuesday’s loss. “I don’t think we can be too down on ourselves. We played well. We hit the ball, and it didn’t happen. I think everybody needs to stay in their groove and not worry about the loss.”
Leo and pitching coach Joe Hill were scheduled to make a decision on who would be the starting pitcher for today’s game after Wednesday night’s action. Right-handers Landon Harper (6-1) and Chris Ofat (6-0) and the left-handed Hottovy (7-2) were all in the starting rotation this summer and all are available to pitch. Perhaps the only pitcher not available is right-hander Ryan LaMotta, who was the hard-luck loser against Prairie Gravel despite allowing only two runs — one earned — on four hits in a complete-game outing.
Hays has allowed two runs in each of its four games in Wichita.
“We’re still in the tournament,” said Hottovy, who has pitched 42ž3 innings out of the bullpen in the tourney. “It wasn’t our second loss. We’re not done. We’re moving on. ...”
The Larks will also need to get a few hits to drop in. Hays has hit the ball hard at times, with little to show for it.
“Even since Day 1 against Natchitoches, guys are making great (defensive) plays,” Schwartzbauer said. “We can’t complain about how we’re hitting. … We’ve hit the ball as well as we have all year. It’s not falling right now, and hopefully it will.”
Hays entered the tourney with a .303 team batting average, but that has dipped to .256 in the World Series.
Left fielder Randy Curtis, who joined the Larks near the end of the regular season after playing for the Topeka Capitals, is hitting a team-high .375 with four RBIs in the tourney. But after that, center fielder Craig Cooper is next in line with a .286 average and one RBI.
First baseman Cody Ehlers, who led the team during the regular season with a .383 average, 11 home runs and 52 RBIs, has struggled in Wichita. Ehlers is hitting .250 with two RBIs.
Hays and Santa Barbara are joined by Havasu (Ariz.), Prairie Gravel, the Wichita Braves and Chinese Taipei as the final six teams remaining in the field.