GREAT BEND – The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion baseball team scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat the Great Bend Chiefs 9-7 in game one of their doubleheader Wednesday night at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The Chiefs plated an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth and win the nightcap 4-3.
Brady Kreutzer’s bases-loaded triple in the top of the seventh inning drove in three to give the Eagles (6-3) the lead for good in the first game. Kreutzer also homered in the first and drove in four. Dalton Dale added a two-run homer in the first following a Garrett Wellbrock double off the fence in left to give Hays and early 3-0 lead. Dale went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs.
The Chiefs (4-2) scored four in the fourth to tie the game 6-6 then took the lead with a run in the fifth.
Dalton Dale (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings of relief and picked up the win after starter Carson Spray allowed seven runs (two earned) on 10 hits with five strikeouts and two walks over five innings.
The Eagles scored two in the fifth on Ben Krannawitter’s single to tie the second game 3-3. Great Bend later took advantage of a one-out error to score the go-ahead run in the sixth inning in game two.
Krannawitter had two of the Eagles five hits and drove in two of their three runs.
Garrett Wellbrock (2-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits with five strikeouts and four walks over 5 2/3 innings and suffered the loss.
The Eagles return to action Monday morning at the Battle of Omaha at Omaha-Burke HS.