Hays Post
HAYS - The Hays Larks had a successful home debut Wednesday night in front of a packed crowd. The Larks score five runs in the second inning and cruised to an 11-4 win over the Dodge City A’s in a non-league game at Larks Park.
The Larks have won three-straight and improved to 3-1 on the season. Dodge City lost their second straight and drops to 1-3.
The A’s scored runs in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead but Baylor's Will Pendergrass tied the game in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run in his first at-bat of the summer. Houston Christian's Trent Baker later followed with an RBI single which scored Bryson Evans to give the Larks the lead for good. The leadoff hitter finished with three of the Larks nine hits including a double and drove in two runs.
Garrett Greull and Will Pendergrass also drove in a pair of runs.
Second-year Lark Kam Walton (1-0) was one of four pitchers on the night and was awarded the win. The redshirt-freshman from the University of New Mexico allowed one earned run on four hits over four innings with eight strikeouts and one walk.
Luuk ter Beek and Dayne Pengelly followed with three combined hitless innings. Pengelly, a sophomore out of Pima (Ariz.) CC, struck out five over two innings.
Oklahoma junior Jett Lodes pitched the final two innings. He gave up a two-run homer but struck out the side in the eight then struck out the side in the ninth.
LEADING OFF
Leadoff hitter Trent Baker, a freshman from Houston Christian, had three hits vs. Dodge City Wednesday. It was his second straight 3-hit game. He now has three multi-hit games this season and has hit safely in all five games.
THE WHIFF
The Larks four pitchers combined to strike out 19 Dodge City batters while walking only three. It's the most strikeouts for the Larks in recent history. The previous high had been 18 strikeouts vs. the Fort Collins (Colo.) Foxes on July 11, 2021.
UP NEXT
The Larks travel to Dodge City Thursday for another non-league game. They return home Friday to host the Denver Cougars in their Rocky Mountain Baseball League opener.