Hays Post Sports
LIBERAL – Lane Sparks had five hits and drove in four runs, Thomas Lyssy added three hits and five RBIs and the Hays Larks gained a split in their doubleheader with the Liberal Bee Jays with a 14-8 win in game two Wednesday night at Brent Gould Field.
The Larks were held to one run on two hits and lost the opener 4-1.
Liberal (8-6, 3-3 RMBL) scored two runs in the bottom of the first of the second contest, but the Larks (11-3-1, 7-3 RMBL) answered with three in the third, three in the fourth and five in the fifth to build and 11-2 lead. They would add three more in the top of the seventh which pushed the lead to 14-2 before the Bee Jays struck for six in the bottom of the inning.
Lyssy gave the Larks the lead in the second contest with a two-out bases loaded double which scored three. An inning later, Kaleb Duncan drove in a run with a single to center. Lane Sparks pushed the lead to 6-2 with a two-run triple later in the frame.
Lyssy led off the fifth with a double followed by back-to-back walks. Lorenzo Rios was hit by a pitch to make the score 7-2. CJ Reid followed with a two-run double, Duncan a sacrifice fly and Sparks and RBI single to give Hays an 11-2 lead.
Sparks drove in a run with a double down the right field line and Lyssy added another run with a double to center in the seventh.
The Bee Jays made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh. They opened the inning with three straight hits then with one out, scored a walk, two-run homer, a double, a single and a passed ball Julio Ramos who got got back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Trent Baker (1-1) allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts and picked up the win.
In the opener, Jason Davis held the Larks to on run on two hits over the first six innings. Larks starter Dalton Campbell (3-1) allowed two runs on five hits but walked four over four innings and suffered his first loss of the season.
Thomas Lyssy had both of the Larks hits including a triple in the second in which Garrett Gruell was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first. Lyssy would later scored in a sacrifice fly from Taber Stokes.
The Larks loaded the bases on three walks in the third but couldn’t score. They got two on with one out in the seventh but a pop out and line out ended the game.