Hays Post Sports
HAYS – The Hays High baseball team closed out their regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Junction City Friday at Leo-Harper Field. The Indians won the opener 10-0 in five innings then scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to take game two 3-2. The Indians improved to 16-8 on the season while the Bluejays 10-16.
With the two wins, Hays locked up a top-four finish in Class 5A West and will host one of the eight regionals next week. Brackets for those regionals will be released by KSHSAA Saturday.
Game 1: Hays 10, Junction City 0 (5 innings)
The Indians jumped ahead early with three runs in the first and three in the second.
They added a single run in the third, two more in the fourth then a run in the
fifth for the run-rule victory.
Carter Graham hit a two-run homer in the first. Landon Hardman added a solo shot in the third.
Jonathan Cano, Jalen Smith, Carter Graham, Trace Jacobs and Ian McGuire all had two hits. Graham and Jacobs both drove in three runs while Smith knocked in two.
Graham scattered three hits over 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and no walks and picked up the win. Brett Rhoades pitched the final 2/3 innings to close out the game.
Game 2: Hays 3, Junction City 2
Hays scored what proved to be the winning run when Junction City right
fielder Blake Proiletti committed and error with two outs in the bottom of the
sixth on a fly ball of the bat of Ian McGuire which scored Brett Rhoades. McGuire
was eventually thrown out at home to end the inning.
The Indians grabbed the early 1-0 lead on a two-out first inning single from Trace Jacobs which scored Jalen Smith who walked earlier in the inning.
The Bluejays used a single, back-to-back walks and another single to score a run and tie the game 1-1 in the third. HHS grabbed the lead back on Carter Graham’s sacrifice fly which scored Landon Hardman in the bottom of the inning.
Junction City tied the game on a fielder’s choice in the top of the sixth.
Jalen Smith allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout over two innings of relief and picked up the win. Trace Jacobs worked a 1-2-3 seventh for the save.
Starter Jonathan Cano allowed one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks over the first four innings.