Larks win in extra innings
July 18, 2003
By NICHOLAS McQUEEN
Hays Daily News
Winning a nail-biter can make a team stronger.
The Hays Larks avenged a one-run loss from earlier in the month, winning an extra-inning battle with the Wichita Twins Friday night at Larks Park.
The Larks, Hays' summer-collegiate Jayhawk League champions, came from behind twice to take a 3-2 nonleague win in 10 innings over the Twins. On July 5, the Twins edged the Larks 7-6 in Wichita.
Hays manager Frank Leo knows tight games are what the Larks need heading into postseason play. The Larks open play this week in the National Baseball Congress Midwest Regional.
"That was just a good baseball game," said Leo, whose team improved to 6-3 in one-run games. "There was some good execution on both parts. There was some good clutch pitching and good defense. All pitchers on both sides did very well in this game."
Jim Miller (1-0) picked up the win in relief of starter Chris Ofat, who pitched 81/3 innings, giving up six hits while striking out 13 and walking one.
Miller retired the side in the top of the 10th, striking out the side.
Dan Schwartzbauer provided the late heroics for the Larks in the bottom of the inning with a one-out RBI single to right field, bringing home Adam Cox with the winning run. Cox reached first base on a single and advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Jerod Goodale.
"This is the type of game we need to get ready for and be able to execute and win and do some little things down the stretch," Leo said. "We need to do some clutch pitching and get a sac bunt to move a guy and get a key hit. We got a great at-bat by Danny (Schwartzbauer). He had a lot of determination and a lot of competitiveness in that last one."
Jeff Runyon scored on a groundout by Ryan Barker in the third for Wichita and Eric Moreno walked and scored on an error in the seventh for the Twins (23-12).
Hays (32-7) got its first run on a strikeout by Cody Ehlers in the fourth. The Twins catcher dropped the third strike and Pete Maropis scored from third after the throw to first base.
Hays tied the game in the eighth on a passed ball, when Seth Fortenberry scored, who had reached on a walk.
"They score on a hit and run and we score on some wild pitches, so sometimes it's not how hard you hit the ball but what happens in the course of the game," Leo said. "Our execution in the last inning was excellent."
Schwartzbauer's RBI single in the 10th was his only hit of the game. Maropis had two hits, including a double, and Cox went 2-for-2.