Larks slug Braves

7-18-05

By The Hays Daily News

Chris Ofat won his first game in almost a month and was backed by three home runs as the Hays Larks won their 20th game of the season on Friday night.

Hays (20-11) rolled past the Wichita Braves 12-2 at Larks Park in a nonleague game stopped in the eighth inning by the run rule.

Ofat, sidelined by a sore arm, hadn't won a game since June 20. The right-hander looked in fine form against the Braves, working five innings for the victory. Ofat (4-1) gave up two runs on seven hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.

Matt Rainey pitched three scoreless innings in relief to pick up his first save.

Aaron Batlle hit a two-run homer in the first and the Larks added a run in the second on Gabe Marchant's RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead.

After Wichita (19-10) scored a run in the third, Hays answered with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by Marchant's two-run homer.

The Braves got a run in the top of the fifth, but the Larks scored three more in the home half of the inning. Nolan Reimold belted a solo homer with one out, and after Hays loaded the bases later in the inning, Jason Zoeller walked to force in a run. Matt Kirkpatrick capped the scoring with an RBI single.

Hays added a run in the sixth on Tyler Wasserman's sacrifice fly, then ended the game in the eighth on run-scoring singles by Seth Fortenberry and Wasserman.

Marchant finished the game with three hits and three RBIs, with two runs scored. Wasserman also had three hits, with two RBIs and a run scored. Zoeller doubled twice, with one RBI and two runs scored, and Fortenberry had two singles, with an RBI and one run scored.