DE SOTO - The Hays High baseball team lost twice Saturday, falling 2-1 to De Soto then 22-18 the the completion of a suspended game from earlier this season with Washburn Rural.
Hays High (7-4) out hit De Soto 9-1 in a matchup of state tournament qualifying team from a year ago, but the Indians stranded 12 baserunners. The Indians had at least two base runners in all but one inning but was only able to score the one run.
The Wildcats scored twice in the bottom of the first and made it stick. A hit batter followed by a double then an errant throw on a grounder to second base ended up being the difference in the game.
Jack Fields drove in the Indians only run on a fourth inning double off the left field wall which scored Carson Spray.
Hays had a chance to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Garrett Wellbrock opened the inning with a single to right field the moved to third on a double off the bat of Dylan Dreiling. With the infield drawn in, Dalton Dale lined to second for the first out. Wellbrock tried to score on a passed ball but was thrown out on a close play at the plate. Derek Riggs then grounded out to the pitcher for the final out of the game.
Dylan Dreiling (0-1) allowed only the first inning double but suffered the loss in his first start of the season. Dreiling struckout 11 with no walks in six innings.
Jack Millman allowed two unearned runs on five hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks and picked up the win for De Soto.
Wellbrock, Fields and Noah Weimer each had two of the Indians nine hits.
On the way home, Hays stopped off at Washburn Rural to complete their suspended game from April 5th. The Junior Blues were leading 15-5 after two innings when the game was suspended due to darkness.
Hays scored three and Washburn Rural answered with two in the third. The Indians then struck for six in the fourth and four in the fifth to pull within a run at 18-17 but the Junior Blues scored a run in the bottom of the fifth then plated three in the sixth.
The Indians scored a run in the top of the seventh but hit into an inning ending double play to end the wild contest.
Dylan Dreiling hit a two-run homer to center and finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, five RBIs and three runs scored. Garrett Wellbrock went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and four runs scored. Dalton Dale added two hits, one of which was a double, and drove in three.
Brayden Dreher, who was the game’s original starter on April 5th, took the loss. Garrett Wellbrock pitched four innings in Saturday’s conclusion and allowed seven runs (three earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and five walks.
The Indians head back to eastern Kansas to play in the Butch Foster Memorial Baseball Classic hosted by Bonner Springs High School. They open with Bonner Springs on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. then play either Tonganoxie or Basehor-Linwood at 6:00 p.m. They will then conclude the tournament with a game at Legend’s Field on Saturday.