Hays Post
WICHITA – The Hays Larks and the Kansas Cannons waited more than two hours for their game to start Sunday as part of Baseball ‘Round the Clock at the NBC World Series in Wichita and then proceeded to play a slugfest that lasted nearly three hours in the mid-day heat but it was the Larks who came out with the 11-8 victory.
Hays took an early 1-0 lead scoring on a Garrett Gruell RBI single in to top of the first inning, but that lead was short-lived as the Cannons scored two in the bottom of the inning.
Both runs came against Larks starter Dalton Campbell who struggled out of the gate but the settle in and allowed just four runs on eight hits in six innings with six strikeouts and three walks to pick up the win.
Down 2-1 Hays’ Will Carpenter connected on his first of back-to-back RBI doubles putting the Larks up 4-2. A Trent Baker sacrifice fly that scored Carpenter gave Hays a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth the Cannons cut the lead to 4-3 but the second Carpenter RBI double in the top of the fifth put Hays up 5-3 through five.
The Cannons got another run back in the bottom of the sixth making it 5-4 Hays.
In the seventh inning the two teams combined to score 10 runs on eight hits and 20 men took an at bat in an inning that lasted more than 45 minutes.
It was the Larks that got the better of the Cannons though outscoring them 6-4.
In the top of the inning the Larks scored twice on a bases loaded walk, three times on RBI singles by Kaleb Duncan, Trent Baker and Thomas Lyssy and a Garrett Gruell sacrifice fly.
Hays had built an 11-4 through six and a half innings.
The Cannons were able to push across their four runs making it 11-8 Hays through seven innings and they held on for the three-run victory.
All nine Larks collected at least one base hit. Ashton, Espinal, Lyssy, Carpenter and Baker each had two hits.
Ashton and Carpenter each doubled twice.
Carpenter drove in three and Ashton walked three times.
Campbell earned the win for Hays and Garrett Hicks got the save. He allowed just two hits with five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
Hays and Lonestar Baseball Club are both 2-0 in pool play and will square off in the 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The winner earns a first-round bye in bracket play and will get day off on Wednesday.