Larks pull off magic again
June 28, 2003
By NICK SCHWIEN
Hays Daily News
It starts with a little clapping of the hands from the crowd to get the cauldron stirring.
Add in a few hits here and there.
Toss in the word "believe."
And then the "Larks Magic" is complete.
Have any other explanations for the Hays Larks' ability to continually find ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?
"This is great," said Hays shortstop Dan Schwartzbauer. "I don't know what it is, I really don't. It's something special. I don't know if it's the ball park or what, but it's something special."
And that something special introduced itself once again to the large crowd gathered to watch Hays' summer-collegiate baseball team Friday night in a Jayhawk League clash with the rival Liberal Bee Jays at Larks Park.
And perhaps it was no surprise what transpired.
Hays rallied for a 6-5 victory in its final at-bat of Game 2 to earn a sweep of the Bee Jays at Larks Park. The Larks won the opener, 10-7.
The sweep gave Hays (16-2 overall, 10-2 Jayhawk) it's 11th win in a row, the longest such streak in recent years. In 2001 -- which culminated in the first of back-to-back league titles, the first in club history -- the Larks had a winning streak of 10 games during the season before finishing off the summer with a runner-up finish at the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita.
Hays manager Frank Leo knows that believing in your teammates has just as much to do with the tricks as magic itself.
"Hopefully they're believing in that," he said. "That's a big part of it, to believe there's somebody on your ball club that's going to step up sometime and get the job done. I think we're starting to instill that, and guys are getting it done for us. That kind of snowballs, and you have a lot of confidence in your teammates."
Liberal helped set the stage for the Larks' rally by scoring two runs in the top of the seventh inning of the late game to take a 5-4 lead.
Then the magic started.
Pete Maropis reached on a fielding error by the Liberal second baseman with one out, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Then a Hays veteran -- Dan Schwartzbauer -- added his ingredients.
Schwartzbauer battled to a full count, then drove a pitch in the gap between first and second base. Liberal second baseman Will Bradley made a diving stop to prevent the ball from going deeper into the outfield. And as Schwartzbauer reached safely with a single, Bradley hopped to his feet and tried to nab Maropis -- who was trying to score from second -- at home plate.
But Bradley's throw was well off the mark, allowing Maropis to tie the game at 5-5 and Schwartzbauer to advance to second on the error.
Then the cauldron was bubbling.
"I just hit it and prayed," said Schwartzbauer, who is playing for the Larks for the third summer in a row.
"Every coach and every team is expected to capitalize on mistakes. It's a good advantage, and we've been able to do it."
Schwartzbauer advanced to third when Craig Cooper hit a grounder for the second out of the inning, and Liberal reliever Cory Patton intentionally walked Cody Ehlers to put runners at first and third.
Aaron Batlle missed badly on the first pitch he faced from Patton, finding nothing but air and adding to the suspense.
"Especially when I took a bad swing at the curve ball," said Batlle, who was 0-for-3 at the plate entering the at-bat. "He had me in a hole, could have thrown whatever. But I saw a fastball and just went with it."
And on a 2-2 pitch, Batlle slapped the ball into left field for a single, driving in Schwartzbauer -- who immediately pumped his fist in celebration as he trotted home to plate the winning run.
"We're on a roll," Batlle said. "Pitching is good. Defense is good. And we've been hitting the ball. Going into the inning, especially at home, I don't think there was anybody in the dugout that thought, 'Man, we're going to lose this one.' ... Coach Leo always talks about the magic at home. This is my first time here, and I got to witness it and be a part of it."
Just another saga for the hometown fans and current players to appreciate.
"The new guys that are here, they have to start believing it's going to happen," Leo said. "If you can stay close, that's big in this league. It gives you a chance to win in the late innings."
Andy Pape, who surrendered the eventual go-ahead run to Liberal in the top of the inning, got the win. Pape (2-0) allowed the one run on two hits, with no strikeouts or walks.
Tom Hottovy, the starting pitcher who didn't figure into the decision, went six innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.
Schwartzbauer finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored, two RBIs and a double, and Ehlers went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk.
"Don't make it easy on anybody, keep battling," Leo said. "Then anything can happen. We battled to the end and didn't make it an easy seventh inning."
Liberal took a 2-0 lead in the first inning -- the first two runs surrendered by the Larks this year in the opening inning -- when Hunter Pence hit a two-run home run to left field. Hays took back the lead with three runs in the second before Liberal tied it in the fifth.
Ehlers scored on a wild pitch with one out in the sixth to give Hays a 4-3 lead before the Bee Jays set the stage with two runs in the top of the seventh.
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