HUTCHINSON – The Hays Larks hit four home runs, three of them with two runners on, and beat the Mid-Crest (IL) Pumas 16-8 in their National Baseball Congress World Series opener at Hobart-Detter Field. The four home runs tie an NBC World Series wood-bat era record set by the Santa Barbara Foresters last summer.
Grant Schmidt gave the Larks (30-6) the early lead with a three-run shot over the center field wall in the top of the first. Leo Jiminian added a solo shot to center to lead off the second to push the lead to 4-0. Zach Henry’s three-run bomb to straight-way center put the Larks up 8-3 in the top of the third. Matt Cavanagh hit the last of the homers, a three-run shot to center, in the fourth to put the Larks up 11-3.
The Pumas (14-31) didn’t go easy, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth on an Isaiah Hart two-run homer to pull within 11-5. Hart’s second three-run blast in the sixth cut the gap to 13-8 but the Larks answered with three in the top of the seventh for the final margin.
Starter Cade Brown (4-1) allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits with eight strikeouts and one walk over four innings for the win. Tyler Palmer pitched a scoreless fifth. Jacob Ensz allowed three runs on four hits in the sixth. Jose Velazquez got the final four outs to close the game.
Zach Henry led the Larks 18-hit attack going 4-for-6 with a homer, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored. Palmer Hutchison and Leo Jiminian both added three hits. Jiminian drove in three and scored twice, Hutchison doubled, drove in a run and scored four times. Grant Schmidt, Sam Crowell and Matt Cavanagh all had two hits.
The Larks will play Hutchinson at either 6 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The Monarchs knocked off the San Diego Stars 4-3 Thursday evening.
Thursday’s scores
Wichita (KS) 316 Sluggers 11, Puerto Rican Collegiate Team 1 (8 innings)
Hays (KS) arks 16, Mid-Crest (IL) Pumas 8 (7 innings)
Hutchinson (KS) Monarchs 4, San Diego (CA) Stars 3 (10 innings)
Santa Barbara (CA) Foresters 14, Waco (TX) Sultanes 0 (5 innings)