Larks win twice to make finals
July 29, 2003
By The Hays Daily News
EL DORADO — The difference between a No. 4 seed and a No. 8 seed is on the line tonight for the Hays Larks.
Hays needs to defeat El Dorado twice in the championship series to win the National Baseball Congress Midwest Regional. The Larks advanced to the 6 p.m. final round with a pair of wins Monday night at McDonald Park.
Hays (40-9) needed 14 innings to edge the Springfield (Mo.) Slashers 4-3, then came back to shut out the Wichita Twins 3-0 in a game that ended after midnight.
Hays would earn the No. 4 seed at the NBC World Series, which starts Friday, by winning the regional. If El Dorado wins the regional, Hays would drop to the No. 8 seed as the Jayhawk League champion.
The Larks would open the World Series Sunday if they win the regional. If they lose tonight, they would play Monday in Wichita.
Left-hander Tommy Hottovy (6-1) will get the start in the first game tonight. The starter in a second game would be right-hander Chris Ofat (5-0).
El Dorado rallied for a 6-5 win over Hays Saturday night at the regional.
Hays earned a rematch with a pair of pitchers’ duels Monday.
After a 3-3 tie when Hays scored three runs in the bottom of the third, the Larks and Slashers put together 10 scoreless innings until the 14th.
Craig Cooper led off the inning with a single, went to second on a fielder’s choice and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After Aaron Batlle walked, Adam Cox executed a suicide squeeze bunt to score Cooper with the winning run.
Hays starter Andy Pape settled down after giving up three runs in the first inning. Pape allowed four hits in six innings, with four walks and 10 strikeouts.
Then the Larks’ bullpen took over. Right-handers Mike Snapp — who joined the team late in the regular season — and closer Jim Miller combined for eight scoreless innings. Snapp allowed one hit in four innings, with no walks and one strikeout. Miller (2-2) also gave up one hit in four innings, with one walk and eight strikeouts.
“The bullpen did a great job, not allowing anything,” Hays manager Frank Leo said. “Outstanding job out of the bullpen.”
Hays’ three-run third to tie the game was highlighted by a two-run double from newcomer Shawn Smarsh, who played for the Topeka Capitals during the regular season. Another former Capital, Randy Curtis, drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the first run of the inning.
Against the Twins, the Larks broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth, then added an insurance run in the eighth.
Jeff Bieker led off the fifth with his fifth home run of the season to give Hays a 1-0 lead. Smarsh added an RBI single to score Dan Schwartzbauer, who was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on two wild pitches.
Hays scored in the eighth when Cooper doubled with one out, went to third on Cody Ehlers’ single and came home on a Twins error.
Larks starter Jim Popp worked 71/3 innings for the victory. Popp (2-0) allowed four hits, with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Snapp got the final five outs for his first save. He gave up one hit and had three strikeouts.