Hays must go through losers' bracket

8-8-04

By NICK McQUEEN

Hays Daily News

WICHITA — In August of 2000, Hays' summer collegiate baseball team had to overcome long odds at the season finale.

The Larks did the same thing in 2001.

In back-to-back seasons, the Hays Larks had to fight their way from out of the loser's bracket to claim runner-up finishes in the National Baseball Congress World Series.

It will have to be deja vu all over again.

After a 9-7 loss to Seminole (Okla.) in Friday night's third-round game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, this year's Larks will be forced to make another run through the losers' bracket or go home.

Hays (28-14) will try to stave off elimination in today's 8 p.m. game against the Houston Apollos at Word of Life Sports Complex here. Newcomer Gilbert DeLaVara will get the start for Hays.

Frank Leo, in his 23rd year as Larks manager, sees a strong resemblance between this team and the one that had the “magic” in 2000.

“In 2000, we came back and won seven in a row,” Leo said. “Someone has to come back from the losers' bracket. It's the team that really wants it bad now and wants to fight to extend their season. In this first game back, we'll see where this club wants to be.”

There were a few defensive lapses and baserunning mistakes that hindered the Larks on Friday. With a 4-2 lead heading into the sixth inning, the Larks gave up six straight hits for six runs.

“It was just a bad inning for us,” Leo said. “We couldn't stop the bleeding. If someone puts up a six-spot on you, you're going to have to scratch and claw to try and come back. We didn't do a whole lot of things right when they put up six runs.”

After starter Chris Ofat (4-3) was chased in the sixth, Jeff Mandel and Josh Blake both came into the game in relief. An error by shortstop Warren Schaeffer kept the inning alive and the final run of the inning scored later.

With the absence of Kevin Russo due to an illness in the family, Schaeffer regained his shortstop job; he opened the season at short.

“The double play ball at shortstop turns that inning around,” Leo said. “You have to step up. You can't look at someone that's not there. Someone has to step in and get it done on defense and we can't make the mistakes on the basepaths like we did tonight.”

Down 8-5 in the seventh inning, Hays had runners at first and second with one out when Hunter Mense was picked off at second for the second out to help kill a rally.

Nolan Reimold hit his second homer of the World Series in the eighth inning to pull the Larks within 9-6 and Seth Fortenberry scored on an error by the catcher on a pickoff attempt.

That brought the Larks within two runs of Seminole (35-4). But Hays was shut down in order in the ninth by Rebel reliever Bryant Beaver, who got the save.

“We just need to cut down on the mistakes in the field,” Reimold said. “I think we have the potential on offense to make it happen, we just need to fix our defense to get the job done.”

Leo said the Larks battled back and found something they could use today.

“I think maybe there is some momentum we could carry late in this ball game. Where it was at in the sixth inning, it could have gotten really ugly. We fought back and made a ball game of it,” Leo said.

Game Notes

— The Larks managed a five-hit, four-run fourth inning to take a 4-2 lead. Jason Zoeller and Schaeffer each had RBIs as did newcomer David Maroul.

— Hays ended the night with 13 hits and three errors, outhitting the Rebels by one. Each team had three errors.

— In the sixth inning, the first six Seminole batters recorded a hit. Ofat allowed the first four runs and Mandel the next two.

— Reimold's eighth-inning homer was his 11th of the year and 40th RBI. Reimold has now homered in both games Hays has played at the World Series.

— Billy Sharp was 3-for-5 at the plate and Schaeffer was 3-for-4.

Sports writer Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 128, or by email at nmcqueen@dailynews.net.