Hays High hosted Andover Central on Thursday to close out their regular season schedules. Both teams entered the day 9-9 and both already knew their fate in next week’s regional tournament. The Lady Indians found out the day before they earned the top seed of the four team tournament that will be held in Buhler on Tuesday.
Game 1
Andover Central 13 – Hays 4
The Indians took an early 1-0 lead after an error on the Jaguars in the bottom of the first inning. Andover Central answered back with three in the second, including a two run home run, and two more runs in the third.
Hays couldn’t take advantage of runners on the base path in the second and third inning while Andover Central added another three runs in the fourth. Kalei Cline, who homered in the second inning, added another in the fourth to open a second three run inning that pushed the advantage for the Jaguars to 8-1.
Hays scored a second run on a throwing error in fifth inning for an 8-2 score. Andover Central tacked on five more runs in the top of the seventh inning to end any thoughts of a comeback in game one. The Indians scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh for the 13-4 final.
Kaitlyn Brown took the loss in game one.
Game 2
Hays 12 – Andover Central 9
Highlights
Each team recorded three hits and an error in the first inning of game two. The result was a 3-2 lead for Andover Central. The Jaguars increased the lead to three once again with two runs in the top half of the second. Down 5-2, Hays used four hits and three hit batters to score five runs in the bottom of the second to take their first lead of game two.
The Indians increased their lead to three following a two run third with all the runs scoring with two outs. Hays led 9-6 entering the fourth but Andover Central pushed three across the plate to tie things up at nine a piece.
Hays again answered and did so with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. Cassidy Prough singled home a run to regain the lead and then Kaitlyn Brown doubled in two runs for a 12-9 lead.
Each team went scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings for the first zeroes posted in game two. Before the fifth Andover Central changed pitchers to their game one winner Audrey Orlowski. While Orlowski held Hays scoreless for the fifth and sixth, Jaysa Wichers did the same to the Jaguars in the fifth, sixth and seventh for a Hays High 12-9 victory.
Both Hays and Andover Central finish the regular season at 10-10.
Coach Erin Wagner
Hays moves on to the regional tournament in Buhler next Tuesday. The Indians are the one seed and will face 0-20 Buhler at 3:00. 6-14 Abilene will play 4-16 McPherson at 4:30. The winners will play for a spot at the state tournament at around 6:00.