Maize South plated three runs in the bottom of the first inning on their way to a first round victory over Hays at the 4A-1 state baseball tournament in Salina on Thursday.  The Mavericks opened the game with a double and then scored two batters later to take a 1-0 lead.  A routine ground ball with runners at second and third with two outs hit the infield grass lip, putting a tough hop on the ball.  The ground ball resulted in an error and two runs scored on the play.

Hays threatened in the third and fourth innings, but failed to score while Maize South tacked on another run to push their lead up to 4-0.  Hays scored their first run in the top of the fifth on an infield single by Palmer Hutchison with the bases loaded.  The Indians gave that run back on a home run in the bottom of the inning and trailed 5-1 after the fifth inning.

Hays plated their only other run on a infield single by Cole Murphy in the sixth, but Maize south answered back with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final margin of 7-2.

Coach Frank Leo

Hays ends their season at 10-13.  The top seeded Maize South Mavericks are 18-5.

Hays tallied six hits in the loss, walked four times and had one batter hit, but left nine on the base paths.  Trey Riggs took the loss for the Indians.  Palmer Hutchison and Cole Murphy each had two hits in the game.  Maize South recorded ten hits, walked six times and left eight on base.  Chase Hampton took the victory on the mound for the Mavericks.

Liberal baseball swept Hays on Thursday in a make up double header that allowed the Redskins to claim a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.  Each Hays and Liberal needed a sweep of one another to tie Dodge City and Garden City at 5-3 in final conference standings.

Trey Riggs allowed just two runs in game one but the offense managed just single run in support in the Indian’s third consecutive one run loss.  The sophomore over came three errors through the game but Liberal managed to get three hits in the fourth inning for the decisive margin.

Riggs went six and two-thirds innings throwing 105 pitches, the maximum allowed by KSHSAA.  Tyrone Wynn finished off the only batter he faced in the seventh inning.  Riggs struck out a career high nine, passing his previous high of seven that he established Saturday versus Goddard-Eisenhower in the Diamond Classic.

Hays batters walked six times and were hits twice.  The Indians were 0-12 with runners in scoring position.

Hays managed just four hits in the loss and scored the only run when Wynn doubled to score Cody Petersen.

Coach Frank Leo

Both team’s offense came around in the second game with Liberal scoring runs each of the odd numbered innings, including five in the seventh for a 11-7 win to clinch their share of the conference crown.  Each team scored a single run in the first with Hays tying the game on a triple by Wynn.  He scored on a wild pitch in the next plate appearance.  Liberal scored two more in the third and three in the fifth to expand their lead to 6-1.  Hays answered with two in the bottom of the fifth and had the bases loaded but could not score any more.

Liberal needed all of their five seventh inning runs as Hays strung together four runs in the final inning, all on two outs but left the bases loaded for fourth time in the game.  Hays stranded fourteen runners in the second game loss.  They left ten on the base paths in the first game.  Hays used two pitchers in the game with Cole Murphy taking the loss and exiting the game with a stiff back after the third.  The Indians walked seven batters and hit four.  Liberal walked nine and hit three.

Wynn led the way in game two with four hits.  Peterson added two hits.  Both players also scored two runs.  Peterson and Palmer Hutchison each drove in two runs.  The Indians finished game two 5-16 with runners in scoring position out of 22 play appearances.

Hays falls to 8-10 overall and finishes 3-5 in the WAC.  Liberal is now 13-5 and 5-3.  Hays returns to action on Friday for senior day, taking on Valley Center.  It will be the Indians third double header in four days and will finish off ten games over nine days.

Like most teams around the state of Kansas, Hays and Dodge City’s baseball seasons have been changed because of the weather.  Friday night the moisture held off but the cold weather did not.  Hays and Dodge City split their double header as they squeezed in the games before the rain in the weekend’s forecast.

Game 1

Hays 4 – Dodge City 3 (9 innings)

Hays helped Dodge City to a two run lead thanks to errors through the first five innings.  Hays battled back in the bottom of the sixth inning which was led off by Jace Armstrong’s first career home run.  Hays tied the game at two runs a piece when Palmer Hutchinson blooped single into the outfield.

Each team scored a single run in the seventh inning to force extra baseball.  Hays had the winning run on the third base in the each the seventh and eighth inning before breaking through in the ninth.  The Indian’s Cody Peterson reached first on an error then moved to third on a errant pick-off throw from the pitcher.  The Red Demons elected to load the bases with two intentional walks, bringing Trey Riggs to the plate.  Riggs raked a hard single off the third baseman’s glove who was playing in on the infield.

Game 1 Highlights

Palmer Hutchison took the win in the 4-3 opener.  Hutchison pitched two innings of relief after being cleared to play medically the day before.  Tyrone Wynn pitched the first seven innings allowing three runs, one of which was earned.  Dodge City’s starting pitcher went six and a third innings before leaving due to the state mandated 105 maximum pitch count rule.

Game 2

Dodge City 12 – Hays 4

Dodge City jumped out to a 6-0 run on their way to a 12-4 win in game two.  Dodge City sent all nine of their players to the play in the fourth inning scoring three runs.  Hays answered with four runs of their own while sending nine to plate.  The bottom of the fourth inning cut the Indian lead down to 6-4.  Hays though would not have any more players cross the plate.

Game 2 Highlights

The Indians used four pitchers in the game, walking twelve Red Demons and hitting two more.  The Indians allowed ten hits in the loss.  The Indian offense notched just one hit.

Coach Frank Leo

Hays moves to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Western Athletic Conference.  Dodge City is now 7-4 and 2-3 in the WAC.  Hays is off until the Diamond Classic on May 4th, 5th and 6th.  Goddard-Eisenhower, Salina Central, Life Prep Academy and Great Bend will all take part in the tournament.

Shane Berens made his college decision official on Wednesday as the Hays High senior signed with Southeastern Louisiana University for Track and Field.  The three sport athlete had his pick of football, basketball or track to compete in at the collegiate level.  After visiting the Hammond, Louisiana university Berens said it felt like a home away from home.  The coaching staff also made sure that Berens met with his future academic department, something that went a long way in the decision process.  He plans on majoring in criminal justice.

Shane Berens

Berens ranks in the top five all-time at Hays High in the shot put and discus.  He currently sits fourth in shot at 56’0″ and fifth in discus at 171’5″ for a school that has had a successful run of throwers in their history.  Berens was a three year starter for the football team and spent four years on the varsity basketball team earning Western Athletic Conference and State honors in both.

Southeastern Louisiana State is a Division FCS school that competes in the Southland Conference.

Coach Randall Rath

The shots were there, they just wouldn’t go in for Hays High.  The Indians dropped a 1-0 match to Liberal on Thursday at Hays High School.  Liberal scored the game’s lone goal with just under 16 minutes remaining in the second half.  Hays tallied eleven shots on goal, but could not find the back of the net.  The Redskins has just three shots on goal the entire game.  Hays drops to 3-2 on the season and 0-1 in Western Athletic Conference play.  The Indians will host Junction City on Monday.

Abby Dart is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the state of Kansas.  Thursday versus TMP she showed why.  Dart allowed just one hit and walked four batter in a 6-0 shut-out win of the TMP Monarchs.  Those numbers though were not the most eye popping.  Of the 21 outs in the seven inning game, 20 of them came from strike outs.

Bailey Lacy was the only player to record a hit in game one when she opened the second inning with a double.  Lacy was also the only out that was not via a strikeout when she popped out in the fourth.  Alison Helgit held Garden City to just six runs on five hits.  Just two of those runs though were earned as the committed four errors in the loss.

In game two, Garden City put up seven runs in the first five innings before TMP scored.  The Monarchs notched two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth for the final 7-3 score.  TMP had the bases loaded in the sixth inning with nobody out, but managed just the one run.  Allison Helget, Emily Schulte, and Anna Gottchalk each scored a run in the loss.  TMP was held to just three hits in the second game.

The Monarchs fall to 1-3 on the season.  They will play Colby on Monday.

In just the second game of the 2017 season, Grant Coffman put on a pitching performance that will go down in Hays High history.  Coffman faced 21 Russell Broncos and retired all 21.  That is perfection.  He used just 61 pitches to create the seven inning masterpiece.  Five Broncos were retired by strikeout, eleven from ground outs and five via fly outs or lineout.  Only seven at-bats went past three pitches.

The effort was backed by six runs from the Indian’s offense in the 6-0 victory.  After being held scoreless in the first three innings, Hays scratched across a run in the fourth inning.  What proved to be the go-ahead and winning run also came from Coffman.  Singling with one out, the game’s starting pitcher stole second base, moved to third on a ground out, then scored on a wild pitch.  The Indians would not score again until the bottom of the sixth inning when they scored five additional runs.

Coffman’s perfect game followed a Tyrone Wynn and Cole Murphy combined shutout victory in game one against the Broncos.  Wynn picked up the victory throwing five innings allowing four hits and just one walk while striking out seven.  Cole Murphy pitched the sixth in the 10-0 run rule victory.

Hays led just 1-0 through the first four innings when the Indians struck for seven runs.  During the fifth inning, 12 batters went to the plate collecting six hits and three walks.  The Indians added two more runs in the sixth to end the game.

Hays opens the season at 2-0 and returns to action on Tuesday as they open Western Athletic Conference play against Dodge City at Hays High School.