Hays Post Sports
DENVER – Merek Shannon hit a grand slam with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning which capped a five-run rally and led the Collegiate (Colo.) Roughriders to a 13-12 win over the Hays Larks Wednesday night at the Regis Baseball Field.
The Roughriders (8-10, 4-3 RMBL) started the rally with a leadoff walk. Dalton Campbell then got a strikeout for the first out of the inning but a single, a hit batter and walk scored a run. Julio Romas entered and gave up the game winning homerun on a 1-0 pitch.
The Larks (15-4-1, 11-4 RMBL) saw their five-game win streak snapped despite collecting a season-high 18 hits and striking out a season-high 16 Roughrider batters. It's the first time this season they've lost a game when leading after the seventh and eighth innings.
Hays scored a run in the first on a Garrett Gruell single then added two in the second to grab an early 3-0 lead.
After the Roughriders scored three in the bottom of the third to tie the game, Hays answered with four in the top of the fifth. Gruell, Lorenzo Rios and CJ Reid all had RBI doubles and Taber Stokes an RBI single.
The Larks then scored three in the sixth on a Jackson Babcock single, Thomas Lyssy sacrifice fly and Rios triple to up their lead to 10-4.
The Roughriders came right back with four in the bottom of the inning on a two-run single, hit batter and groundout to pull within 10-8.
The Larks responded with single runs in the seventh and ninth and held a 12-8 lead entering the bottom of the ninth.
Larks’ starter Trent Baker allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits with nine strikeouts over five innings. Campbell gave up eight runs on three hits with seven strikeouts but walked five. Ramos faced just one batter and suffered the loss.
Jackson Babcock went 5-for-5 and drove in two runs. Lorenzo Rios added three this and drove in three runs.
UP NEXT
The Larks play the first of two against the Gameday Angels Thursday night in Parker, Colorado. The Angels lost 13-9 to the Denver Cougars Wednesday night and are 8-9 overall and 4-6 in the Rocky Mountain Baseball League. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at Double Angel Field.