Hays Post Sports
LIBERAL - The Liberal Bee Jays raced out to a 10-0 lead through four innings and held off a Hays Larks comeback for a 14-6 victory in a Rocky Mountain Baseball League game Tuesday night at Brent Gould Field.
The win moves the Bee Jays (18-9-1, 15-6 RMBL) within one game of the first-place Larks in the league standings.
Liberal capitalized on four first-inning walks to score five runs in the opening frame. Adam Swanson delivered a bases-loaded triple, and Drew Gartman followed with a two-run triple to give the Bee Jays an early cushion.
The Bee Jays added five more runs in the fourth, highlighted by Cal Anthony's three-run home run, to build a 10-0 advantage.
The Larks (23-5, 16-5 RMBL) mounted a comeback with four runs in the fifth inning. Sean Keenan drove in two with a single, and Taber Stokes added a two-run double.
Hays trimmed the deficit to 10-5 in the sixth when Keenan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Rayner Beene added an RBI triple in the seventh to make it 10-6, but Liberal answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game away.
Larks’ starter Simon Lunsford (4-2) suffered the loss after allowing five runs on two hits over three innings. He struck out four but walked seven.
Brooks Kappelmann earned the win for Liberal, giving up four runs on five hits over 4 2/3 innings.
Keenan led the Larks offensively, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Stokes added a two-run double, while Beene drove in a run with his seventh-inning triple.
Up Next
The Larks and Bee Jays close out the season series with another RMBL contest Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday’s
RMBL Scoreboard
Liberal Bee Jays 10, Hays Larks 6
Wednesday’s
RMBL Schedule
Fort Collins Foxes at Colorado Lumberjax, 5:30pm
Hays Larks at Liberal Bee Jays, 7:00pm
Gameday Angels at Boulder Collegians, 7:00pm