Sports – Page 487 – Hays Post Archive

American League wins third straight All-Star Game

Posted on July 15, 2015

Mike Trout became the first player in 38 years to lead off the All-Star Game with a home run, and the American League beat the National League 6-3 Tuesday night to secure home-field advantage in the World Series for the third straight year.

Prince Fielder singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning off loser Clayton Kershaw, joining Trout in completing career All-Star cycles. Only 10 players in 86 midsummer classics have a career cycle.

Fielder added a sacrifice fly, Manny Machado doubled in a run and Brian Dozier homered for the AL in the fifth All-Star Game played in red-clad Cincinnati and first at the Great American Ball Park.

Trout went opposite field off Kershaw’s teammate Zack Greinke on the fourth pitch of the game, giving the four-time All-Star a unique feat: he has a single, double, triple and homer – in that order – in his first four initial trips to the plate in his All-Star appearances.

The Kansas City Royals had three players start in the game and two others who played. Lorenzo Cain finished with two hits including an RBI double in the AL’s two-run fifth. He also stole a base. Alcides Escobar went 1-for-2. Cather Salvador Perez had two lengthy at bats but went hitless. Mike Moustakas struck out in the ninth. Wade Davis gave up a hit but struck out two in a scoreless eighth.

David Price struck out two in an inning for the win.

Hornets sign undrafted Kentucky star

Posted on July 15, 2015July 15, 2015

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets signed undrafted rookie free agent guard Aaron Harrison from Kentucky.

Terms of the deal were not released Tuesday night.

Harrison, who spent two seasons with the Wildcats, played in five games for the Hornets in the summer league in Orlando. He averaged 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and team highs of 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals while scoring in double figures in every game.

Hornets general manager Rich Cho says Harrison is “a talented young player with a lot of potential and we look forward to seeing what he can do moving forward.”

Harrison played in 79 games at Kentucky, helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Final Fours. He averaged 12.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.2 minutes. He was voted second-team All-SEC last season.

Hays Rec seeking 2015 baseball/softball coach of the year nominations

Posted on July 14, 2015July 14, 2015

The Hays Recreation Commission is seeking coach of the year nominations for the 2015 baseball/softball season.

The Mike F. Schippers Memorial Inspirational Coach of the Year is presented annually to a youth baseball and softball coach who demonstrates outstanding leadership and involvement in the HRC youth baseball and softball program.

The awards are given annually in memory of Mike F. Schippers, who provided leadership and outstanding involvement in the HRC baseball and softball programs. This coach is someone that has demonstrated good sportsmanship, ability of making sure all players on the team played equally, taught the fundamentals of the game and most importantly did all of this in a fun and positive manner.

Click THIS FORM to nominate a coach. The deadline for nominations is Aug. 31.

Hays softball team brings home championship from state tourney

Posted on July 13, 2015

Front row, from left: Cora Milbourne, Rachel Gilliland, Malynn Plumer, Madelyn Waddell, and Emily Schulte. Middle row, from left: Brooklyn Staab, Macee Altman, Kaitlyn Brown, Lexi Gottschalk, and MacKenzie Fagan. Coaches, from left: Ryan Gottschalk, Randy Gottschalk and Joshua Waddell. Not pictured is Coach McKenzie Altman.Photo courtesy Julie Brown.

EMPORIA — The Kansas Smoke 14 & Under fast-pitch softball team earned championship honors at the 2015 Kansas ASA Class C State Softball Championships in Emporia on Saturday and Sunday.

The title was their second consecutive state championship after having won the 12 & Under title last season.

The Smoke was undefeated at the event and recorded wins over the Flint Hills Wind (Council Grove), Kansas Heat (Hoisington), Mud Katz (Salina) and Nemesis (Salina). Their season record stands at 17-3-1, and the team is riding a nine-game winning streak.

Complete tournament results are available HERE.

The Smoke will close their season at the USSSA National Fast Pitch Championships in Topeka July 16 to 18.

Royals edge Blue Jays after blowing seven-run lead

Posted on July 13, 2015July 13, 2015

Kendrys Morales hits 3-run home run in first inning Sunday. (Courtesy Chris Vleisides)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Paulo Orlando broke a tie with an eighth inning homer and Kendrys Morales hit a three-run homer as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 11-10 after blowing a seven-run advantage Sunday.

The Royals enter the All-Star break with an American League-leading 52 victories. Orlando hit a 2-1 Bo Schultz (0-1) pitch out to left to leadoff the eight.

Kansas City led 7-0 after five innings, but the Blue Jays sent 12 men to the plate in an eight-run sixth. Danny Valencia and Jose Bautista contributed two-run doubles in the inning.

Seven of the runs were unearned after Mike Moustakas and Omar Infante committed errors.

Royals reliever Wade Davis (5-1) got the win despite allowing his second run of the season.

Greg Holland worked the ninth, logging his 20th save in 22 opportunities.

Strong pitching leads Larks to series win over Wellington

Posted on July 12, 2015July 12, 2015

Starting pitcher Brandon Bell and two relievers combine to hold Wellington to one run on five hits as the Hays Larks defeat the Heat 4-1 Sunday night taking two of the three games in the weekend series. The win improves the Larks to 20-17 overall and 16-15 in Jayhawk League where they move withing 1 1/2 games of second place Liberal in the North Division.

Frank Leo

Brandon Bell

Game Highlights

Bell (3-1) retired the final eight and 12 of the last 13 batters he faced, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings for his third win of the summer. Bell stuck out three and walked just one.

Nick Goza worked a perfect eighth then DJ Carr a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.

Wellington scored a run in the first but a double-play to end the inning prevented more. The Larks answered with three in the bottom of the inning on RBI singles from Evan Gruener and Derek Dickerson. Garrett McKinzie added a solo home run in the fourth.

The Larks play at Dodge City Tuesday before closing out league play with four against Liberal. The first two are in Liberal Thursday and Friday with the final two at Larks Park on Saturday and Sunday.

Big inning hurts Hays Eagles

Posted on July 12, 2015July 13, 2015

The Hays Eagles Junior American Legion gave up eight in the second and fall to the Kansa Jaguars 9-1 Sunday in Wichita.

The Eagles commit three errors in the inning resulting in seven unearned runs.

Cole Murphy takes the loss.

Trey VanPelt knocked in the only Eagles run as they fall to 14-16.

Pitching carries Larks to first home win over Wellington since 2012

Posted on July 11, 2015July 11, 2015

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Starter Aaron Fletcher and three relievers combine on a four hitter as the Hays Larks defeat the Wellington Heat 4-2 Saturday night at Larks Park. It’s the Larks first home win over the Heat since 2012 and it evens the key three-game Jayhawk League series at a game a piece.

Frank Leo Interview

Keegan Curtis Interview

Game Highlights

Fletcher (1-1) allowed just one hit over six innings and picks up his first win of the summer, striking out seven and walking four.

Shawn Hunter, Allan Beer and Keegan Curtis combine to allow two runs on three hits. Curtis pitched the final two innings for his second save, striking out four.

After squandering scoring chances in the first three innings, the Larks scratched across two runs on the fourth on a Brett Anderson two-out single. Derrick Mount and Garrett McKenzie both drove in a run in the fifth as the Larks built a 4-0 lead.

Wellington struck for two in the seventh but the Larks relievers held the in check the rest of the way.

The Larks have won three of their last four to improve to 19-17 overall and 15-15 in the Jayhawk League. They move within 2 1/2 games of second place Liberal in the Jayhawk League North after the Bee Jays 9-3 loss to Haysville.

Wellington falls to 23-12 overall and 16-12 in the Jayhawk South where they trail first-place by 1 1/2 games.

The two teams close out the series Sunday night at 7pm. Admission is free courtesy of Downing-Nelson Oil and Western Beverage.

Buehrle, Encarnacion lead Blue Jays to win over Royals

Posted on July 11, 2015July 11, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Mark Buehrle pitched seven strong innings, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Kansas City 6-2 Saturday to snap the Royals’ six-game winning streak.

Buehrle (10-5) limited the Royals to two runs and five hits while improving to 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in his past four starts against them.

Encarnacion’s 18th home run in the fourth inning off Chris Young ended the Blue Jays’ 27-inning scoring drought.

Toronto led 3-2 in the ninth when Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer off Royals rookie Brandon Finnegan to extend the advantage.

Jose Reyes had three hits, stole three bases, walked, scored a run and drove in a run for the Blue Jays.

Young (7-5), working on three days’ rest, gave up three runs and five hits with two walks in six-plus innings. He left after giving up a single to Kevin Pillar to open the inning.

Duffy pitches 6 sharp innings to lead Royals past Blue Jays

Posted on July 11, 2015

Danny Duffy pitches six solid innings in the Royals win over Toronto Friday night. (Chris Vleisides).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Danny Duffy pitched six sharp innings to pick up his first victory in more than two months as the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 Friday night.

Duffy (3-4) shut down a Blue Jays offense, which leads the majors with 470 runs. He gave up four singles while walking three and hitting a batter to earn his first victory since beating Detroit on April 30.

The Royals have won six straight to improve to an American League-best 51-34.

Eric Hosmer went 4 for 4, his first four-hit game of the season and his eighth career game with at least four hits. Salvador Perez, Alex Rios and Alcides Escobar each had two hits and an RBI.

Marco Estrada (6-5) gave up a season-high nine hits and lost for the first time since May 27. The Blue Jays, 3-7 in July, dropped below .500 for the first time since June 8.

Larks drop series opener with Wellington

Posted on July 11, 2015

Wellington’s Dalton Leiker pitched a complete game seven hitter, holding the Hays Larks to one run as the Heat take game one of their three-game series at Larks Park 5-1 Friday night. Leiker struck out two and walked none to move to 3-0 in Jayhawk League play. The loss snaps the Larks three-game win streak, dropping them to 18-17 overall and 14-15 in the Jayhawk League where they are 5 1/2 games back of first place El Dorado in the Jayhawk League North and 3 1/2 back of second place Liberal who beat Haysville 11-5 Friday.

Wellington grabbed 2-0 lead with a run in the second inning and another in the third. The Larks cut the lead in half on Brooks Balisterri’s RBI single which scored Brett Anderson.

Wellington added a run in the fifth on a home run from Austin Krajnak then put the game away with two in the ninth.

Cam Roegner takes the loss for the Larks, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings. Roegner (2-3) struck out eight and walked none.

The Larks and Heat play the middle game of the three-game series Saturday night. It’s Larkstoberfest and Old Timer’s Night with food and drink specials at Larks Park. Free admission for the 7pm contest courtesy of M&D Incorporated and Eagle Communications. The game can be heard on KAYS (1400-AM) and will be streamed live on Hays Post.

2015-16 FHSU basketball schedules include 19 home dates

Posted on July 10, 2015July 10, 2015

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State women’s and men’s basketball will each play over half of their schedules at home during the 2015-16 season. The FHSU women will play 15 of their 28 games at home this year, while the men will play 17 of their 28 contests inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

2015-16 FHSU Men’s Basketball Schedule

2015-16 FHSU Women’s Basketball Schedule

The FHSU men will not play a regular season game outside of Gross Memorial Coliseum until December 17 as they will be at home throughout the duration of the Fall Semester. The Tigers play their first nine games at home, starting with a pair of games against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) opponents Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls on November 14-15. FHSU is coming off a 16-13 record in 2014-15, though it had great success at home once again with a 13-3 mark at the coliseum last year.

Coming off a 30-4 overall record in 2014-15 (the program’s most successful season in its NCAA Division II history), the FHSU women open the year with a pair of games against NSIC opponents in St. Joseph, Mo. Following those games, they return to Hays to start a seven-game home stand to parallel the men’s schedule through the end of the Fall Semester. The home opener for the women will be against another NSIC opponent, St. Cloud State, on November 20, followed by a contest with Regis University on November 21.

Conference play for both squads opens with in-state rivals Washburn and Emporia State. The Ichabods come to Hays on December 2 to kick off the 22-game conference schedule, then the Hornets come to town three days later on December 5. FHSU meets WU and ESU just once during the regular season in a schedule where the Tigers play nine conference schools twice and four just once. Washburn and Emporia State join Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State as the schools FHSU will see just once. Games against Nebraska-Kearney on December 12 complete a run of three straight home dates against rival schools to open conference play at the coliseum.

The Tigers ring in a new year with a pair of home games against Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern on January 2 and 4. Later in the month, FHSU hosts Northeastern State on the 14th and Central Oklahoma on the 16th.

The Tigers play four games in February at home. Central Missouri comes to Hays on the 4th and Southwest Baptist follows on the 6th. The Tigers host Lindenwood on the 18th and close out the home schedule on the 20th against Lincoln.

The Tiger men take on in-state Division I schools Kansas State and Kansas in exhibition play on the road, November 6 and 10. Game times have not been released for the contests in Manhattan and Lawrence, but see the Tigers challenge a pair of Big 12 teams in a span of five days in early November before getting the regular season underway in Hays.

There is a total of 19 home dates between the women’s and men’s schedules, with 13 of the dates being doubleheaders.

Burns leads Larks to series sweep of Dodge City

Posted on July 10, 2015July 10, 2015

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Reggie Wilson’s bases-loaded triple drove in three and highlighted a five-run fifth inning as the Hays Larks beat the Dodge City A’s 9-4 Thursday night at Larks Park. The victory gives the Larks (18-16, 14-14) the three-game series sweep and moves them alone into third-place in the Jayhawk League North Division.

Michael Burns

Frank Leo

Game Highlights

Wilson scored the fifth run of the fifth inning on a throwing error to push the Larks lead to 7-0. He finished 2-for-4 with four RBI’s.

Michael Burns led the Larks 10 hit attack going 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also made a key catch against the wall in left-center field which led to a double play in the seventh inning after the Athletics had trimmed the lead to 7-3.

Derek Birginske (3-2) allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out five and walking two over five innings for the win.

The Larks are just 2 1/2 games back of second place Liberal who lost 10-2 at home to El Dorado and has dropped their last three.

The Larks are back at home Friday for the start of a key three-game weekend series with the Wellington Heat