HAYS – Dylan Dreiling hit a grand slam and drove in five runs to help lead the Hays Larks to a 9-3 win over the Denver Cougars Saturday night at Larks Park. Dreiling’s two-out, bases-loaded blast over the right field wall capped a six-run third inning which gave the Larks the lead for good.
Grant Schmidt gave the Larks (8-1, 5-1 RMBL) a 3-2 lead with a two-run homer following a Wyatt Divis single. Schmidt has now homered in two straight and four of the last five games he's played in. Leo Jiminian followed with a single then back-to-back walks to Core Jackson and Palmer Hutchison set up Dreiling’s big blow.
Dreiling drove in his fifth run of the night in the seventh on a line drive single to left which scored Palmer Hutchison who drove in a run with a double to left earlier in the inning.
The Larks grabbed the early lead, scoring a run in the second on an error. The Cougars (3-10) answered with two runs in the top of the third.
Dreiling, Wyatt Divis and Core Jackson all had two hits.
Jose Velazquez (3-0) pitched three scoreless innings of relief and picked up the win allowing only one hit with four strikeouts and a walk. Starter Jake Fitzgibbons allowed two runs on two hits with eight strikeouts and four walks over three innings.
The Larks and Cougars close out the three-game series with a non-league game Sunday night. You can hear the game on KAYS (94.3-FM, 1400-AM) and on Hays Post.