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Category: Sports

Hays Monarchs sweep Great Bend

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NCKTech-Summer14
The Hays Monarchs put an end to their two-game losing streak Thursday night with a doubleheader sweep on the road in Great Bend.

Game one: Hays 15 Great Bend 9

Hays jumped out to a 9-3 lead after five and a half innings but Great Bend rallied for five runs in the six and one more in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.

The two teams were scoreless until the top of the ninth when the Monarchs exploded for six runs on their way to the 15-9 win.

Jordan Gottschalk was five-for-six with an RBI and scored twice and Kameron Schmidt finished three-for-five and drove in three runs.

Liam Stults worked four innings in relief to pick up the win. He allowed four runs and stuck out six.

Game two: Hays 7 Great Bend 3

In the second game of the doubleheader the Monarchs rallied for a 7-3 win in the second game.

Hays scored three runs in the fifth to go up 5-3 and they added two more in the win.

Grant Romme and Jordan Gottschalk finished two-for-four with two RBIs each and Dick Hockett allowed just three hits in three shutout innings of relief to pick up the win.

Monarchs improved to 16-5 on the season and they are off until next Wednesday when they travel to Larned for a doubleheader.

Tigers maul second-place Royals 16-4

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Everybody in Detroit’s lineup had at least one hit and scored one run, the season-best offensive onslaught spurring the Tigers to a 16-4 rout of the Kansas City Royals in the opener of their four-game series Thursday night.

The Tigers established a season-high for runs just two days after their 14-5 blitzing of the Dodgers, and took a 5 1/2-game lead over the second-place Royals in the AL Central.

Drew Smyly (5-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk in 6 2-3 innings for Detroit.

Jeremy Guthrie (5-8) gave up a career-worst eight earned runs on eight hits, three walks and two hit batters. He was mercifully pulled with no outs in the fifth, which means the Royals’ veteran has now allowed 16 earned runs in eight-plus innings covering his last two starts.

Hays Eagles go 1-1 at wood bat tournament Thursday

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The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion finished 1-1 in pool play at the Blue Spring Missouri Wood Bat Tournament on Thursday, moving their record to 1-2 in Missouri.

Game one: Hays 7 Lee Summit Mo. 5

In their first game of the day the Eagles scored four runs in the fourth and held off a late rally by the Lee Summit Pirates in a 7-5 win.

The Eagles took advantage of three Pirate errors in the second inning, scoring two unearned runs on three hits to go up 2-0.

Leading 3-0 heading into the fourth Hays scored two unearned runs and got an RBI single by Jake Sedbrook and Connor Rule added a sacrifice fly putting Hays 7-0.

Lee Summit rallied for three runs in the fifth and two in the seventh but left the bases loaded as Hays’ Lane Downing struck out the final hitter of the game preserving the win.

Marcus Altman was two-for-three and scored two runs and Connor Rule finished one-for-two and drove in two runs.

Layne Downing picked up the win. He allowed five runs; none were earned in a complete game effort.

Game two: Bellevue Ne. 9 Hays 7

In their second game of the day Bellevue Nebraska jumped out to a big lead and held off a late rally by the Eagles to pick up the 9-7 win.

Leading 2-1 heading into their half of the four Bellevue exploded for five runs to go up 7-1.

Hays got two runs back in the top of the fifth one a Kade Parker RBI single and then Connor Rule scored on a wild pitch cutting the deficit to 7-3.

Trailing 9-3 entering the top of the seventh the Eagles tallied four runs on four hits but stranded two runners on base and came up short falling 9-7.

Zack Legleiter was two-for-three with an RBI and two runs scored and Connor Rule finished two-for-four with and RBI and scored twice.

Brady Bieker allowed nine runs; none earned on 10 hits in six innings and suffered the loss.

The loss drops Hays to 24-8 on the season and 1-2 in pool play.

The Eagles will wrap up pool play Friday afternoon against Overland Missouri.

Larks sweep Liberal

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NCKTech-Summer14
After they were swept in a two-game series over the weekend in Liberal the Hays Larks returned the favor here in Hays completing their own two-game sweep of the Bee Jays winning the series finale 5-4 Wednesday night.

Trailing 1-0 in the third the Aaron Cornell tripled home a run to tie the game at one and Tyler Leffler followed that with an RBI to put Hays up 2-1.

Liberal rallied for three runs in the sixth take a 4-3 lead but Derek Birginske led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homerun tying the game at four.

The Larks took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh with a Tyler Leffler RBI single putting Hays up 5-4.

With Hays leading four different Larks relief pitchers combined for three and a third shutout innings securing the victory.

David Koll pitched a scoreless seventh to earn his fourth win of the season.

Tyler Leffler was two-for-four and drove in two runs.

Hays improved to 18-11 overall and 13-11 in the Jayhawk League.

Hays has Thursday off before hosting Fort Collins for a non-league game on Friday and again Saturday.

Eagles fall in tournament opener

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The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion was held to just two runs in their opening game of the Blue Spring Missouri Wood bat tournament falling 4-2 to Jefferson City.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the second inning Connor Rule led off the inning with a double and eventually came around to score on an error tying the game at one.

Kaden Rohr led off the third inning with a double and came into score on a Cole Schumaker sacrifice fly giving Hays a 2-1 lead.

But Jefferson City rallied for three runs in the fifth taking a 4-2 lead and they would go on to win by that score.

Kaden Rohr got the loss for the Eagles. He allowed four runs; just one of them was earned in six innings.

Cole Schumaker was 1-for-2 with an RBI in the loss.

The Eagles play the Lee Summit Pirates at 2 p.m and Bellevue Nebraska at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Perez hits 3-run HR, Royals beat Rays 5-4

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Salvador Perez hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Wednesday night.

Kirby Yates (0-1), the fifth Tampa Bay reliever, entered with runners on first and third with one out and gave up Perez’s towering shot into the left-field corner.

It’s been a big week for Perez, chosen Sunday to start at catcher for the American League in next week’s All-Star game.

Aaron Crow (4-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win. Greg Holland got three outs for his 24th save.

The second-place Royals return home Thursday night to begin a four-game series against AL Central-leading Detroit, which has a 4 1/2-game lead.

Birginske leads Larks to comeback win over Liberal

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By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Over the last 15 or so years, the Hays Larks have shown an ability to pull out home wins in their final at bat. What has become affectionately known as “Larks Magic” has helped the club to eight Jayhawk League titles and four runner-up finishes since 2001, but has also been noticeably absent from this year’s team. That changed Tuesday night when Derek Birginske scored from second on a throwing error with two outs in the bottom of the ninth lifting the Larks to a 6-5 win over Liberal. The win snaps the Larks two-game losing streak and improves them to 17-11 overall and 13-11 in the Jayhawk League. Liberal, who had won five of six, drops to 16-14 and 10-14 in the Jayhawk League.

Frank Leo Postgame Interview

Derek Birginske Postgame Interview

Birginske hit a two-out double to right center then scored when a ground ball to third off the bat of Ziar Koeiman was overthrown to first. Birginske finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and three runs scored. His solo shot in the fourth put the Larks on the board after they fell behind 4-0. His two-run blast an inning later capped a four-run fifth which gave them a 5-4 lead. Aaron Cornell hit an RBI double and Tyler Leffler added a run scoring triple in the inning.

Birginske also picks up the win after allowing an unearned runs on two hits over the final three innings of relief. The Larks were one 0ut away from the win when the Bee Jays got a two-out single from Brady Cox, who moved to second when center fielder Nate Olinger bobbled the ball. Cox scored on Zach Hoffman’s single to tie the game 5-5.

The two teams close out the two-game series as well as the season series Wednesday night at 7pm. Admission is free courtesy of Commerce Bank, Commercial Builders, Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill and Big D’s.

Elsewhere in the Jayhawk League Tuesday… Derby beat El Dorado 9-2 while Wellington lost 13-7 to Valley Center in a non-league game… The Heat have a 5 1/2 game lead atop the Jayhawk League over Derby. The Larks sit 7 1/2 back… The Larks will play three games at Wellington Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Longoria has 2 RBIs, Rays top Royals

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By MARK DIDTLER
Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays got the key hits and outs when they needed. them

Evan Longoria drove in two runs, Jeremy Hellickson went 4 1-3 innings in his season debut, and the Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Tuesday night.

“We have to win these games like this,” Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “We’re used to doing this in the past. We’re starting to get that feeling back again now.”

The Rays opened the sixth with three consecutive hits, including a two-run single by Longoria off Jason Vargas (8-4), to take a 2-1 lead. Vargas, who allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings, was coming off seven innings in the Royals’ 4-0 win Wednesday against Minnesota.

The Royals went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position, had at least one baserunner every inning, and left 11 on base.

The fourth-place Rays, winners of 10 of their last 13 games, are nine games behind AL East-leading Baltimore.

Hellickson, coming back after arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in January, gave up one run and six hits.

“I was pretty anxious,” Hellickson said. “Had a few butterflies floating around when I was warming up in the outfield. It felt really good to get back on a mound in a big league game.”

James Loney had an RBI double and Logan Forsythe hit a sacrifice fly as Tampa Bay took a 4-1 lead in the eighth. The Rays were aided when Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar fielded Longoria’s grounder with no outs, but was beaten to second base by Brandon Guyer, who had a leadoff bunt single.

“I think Escy thought he was closer to the bag,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Omar (Infante) was standing right on it, and I think Escy thought he was a little closer to the bag. Both guys had pretty good speed. Flip it to Omar and you get one. He was taking a shot at getting two, but he was a step farther than he needed to be on that play.”

Salvador Perez had three RBIs, including a two-run single off Jake McGee in the ninth that pulled the Royals within 4-3. McGee ended the game by striking out Infante with a runner on second.

“Jake didn’t break,” Maddon said.

McGee, the fourth Tampa Bay reliever, went the final 1 1-3 innings for his sixth save. The left-hander entered with two on and two outs in the eighth, and got a flyball from pinch-hitter Danny Valencia.

Kansas City’s Lorenzo Cain reached base five times — four hits and a walk. The Royals went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position through eight innings.

Brad Boxberger (2-1) replaced Hellickson in the fifth with runners on first and third with one out and gave up an RBI grounder to Perez that put Kansas City ahead 1-0.

NOTES: The Royals signed LHP Joe Saunders to a minor league deal and will assign him to Triple-A Omaha. … Maddon said OF David DeJesus (broken left hand) should be back by early August, while OF Wil Myers (broken right wrist) could return in mid-August. … Yost said OF Nori Aoki (strained left groin) could return just before or right after the All-Star break. … Tampa Bay SS Yunel Escobar (shoulder) started a rehab assignment with Single-A Charlotte. … Royals RHP Yordano Ventura (6-7) and Rays RHP Alex Cobb (4-6) are the scheduled starters for the series finale Wednesday night.

 

Kade Parker to play for Barton

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NCKTech-Summer14
By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER
Hays Post

Kade Parker had some decisions to make when it came to his college plans.  The former Hays High Indian and Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year made that decision this week to play baseball at Barton Community College.   Parker turned his senior year into a campaign that made people stand up and take notice both as a pitcher and at the plate.

On the mound, the left handed throwing Parker (4-3, 1 save) held a 0.81 ERA over eight appearances.  Over 43.1 innings pitched he demonstrated masterful control, allowing just 24 hits, striking out 42 and walking just nine.  Parker allowed 14 total runs, five of which were earned.  His 0.81 ERA was fourth best in Hays High history for a single season, while holding opponents to a .158 batting average ranked him seventh on the season. Parker baffled much of the Western Athletic Conference throwing no-hitter against each Dodge City and Garden City.  Then he threw a three-hit shutout versus Great Bend.

Kade Parker

HHS coach Frank Leo

Over the course of his career as a pitcher, Parker appeared in 13 games, compiling a 7-3 with a 0.83 ERA over 72.1 innings pitched.  He allowed just 44 hits, walked 19 and struck out 75 in those appearances.

At the plate Parker hit safely in the first 14 games this season, nine of which were multi-hit games.  Parker batted .400 (26-65) on the season. He struck out just three times in 79 plate appearances.

Parker says the coaches at Barton plan to use him as a starting pitcher.

Parker becomes the second senior off the Indians pitching staff to sign.  Layne Downing inked his letter of intent with Dodge City Community College earlier this year.

Maska taking over HHS soccer coaching duties

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Among the personnel transactions taken at Monday night’s USD 489 Board of Education meeting was the promotion of Jim Maska to head boys and girls’ soccer coach at Hays High School. Maska, who coached with the Hays Soccer Club for 14 years then spent four seasons as an assistant at TMP-Marian and has been an assistant at Hays High the last two years, takes over for Saul Hernandez who resigned at the end of the school year.

Maska inherits a boys team that finished 7-11 this past fall and a girls’ squad that went 13-4-1, winning the WAC title and advancing to the 5A South Central Regional finals.

Royals’ Shields fans 10, shuts down Rays

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By FRED GOODALL
AP Baseball Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Kansas City’s James Shields sparkled in his return to Tropicana Field, limiting the Tampa Bay Rays to three hits and striking out 10 over seven innings and the Royals beat his former team 6-0 on Monday night.

Shields (9-4) spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Rays before being dealt to the Royals in December 2012 as part of a seven-player trade in which Kansas City sent 2013 AL rookie of the year Wil Myers and another top young prospect, Jake Odorizzi (4-8), to Tampa Bay.

The right-hander allowed singles to Ben Zobrist and James Loney in the first two innings, then worked through a jam in the third after giving up a one-out double to Kevin Kiermaier. He retired 10 straight, six by strikeout, before hitting Evan Longoria with a pitch leading off the seventh.

Alex Gordon and Omar Infante drove in runs in the third inning for the Royals, giving Shields all the offensive support he would need to beat Odorizzi.

The Royals tacked on two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth — with Infante and Gordon both collecting their second RBIs of the game — and finished with 14 hits.

Wade Davis, another former Tampa Bay pitcher the Royals obtained in the Shields trade, worked a perfect eighth. Scott Downs finished the combined four-hitter, giving up a ninth-inning single to Zobrist.

The loss was just the third in 13 games for the Rays, who were coming off a road trip in which they went 9-2 to climb out of the AL East cellar.

Odorizzi allowed two runs and six hits, struck out eight and walked two in his third career appearance against the Royals, who beat the 24-year-old in Kansas City on April 9.

Shields, pitching at Tropicana Field for the first time since leaving Tampa Bay, won his only previous matchup against his former team 8-2 at Kansas City on April 30, 2013.

He remains Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in wins (87), starts (217) and strikeouts (1,250). He won the franchise’s first-ever postseason game and owns the club’s only World Series victory.

NOTES: Rays RHP Jeremy Hellickson will make his season debut Tuesday night, returning from right elbow surgery. The Royals will counter with LHP Jason Vargas (8-3, 3.32 ERA). … Kansas City DH Billy Butler, who entered mired in a 3-for-23 slide, was dropped to seventh in the lineup. It’s the lowest spot for him this season. … The Royals sent OF Nori Aoki (strained left groin) to Double-A Northwest Arkansas for a rehab assignment. … The Rays announced the signing of Dominican Republic prospect Adrian Rondon for $2.95 million on the shortstop’s 16th birthday. Minor league pitcher Matt Ramsey was traded to Miami for the Marlins’ second, third and fourth international bonus slots, a move that provided the team with more than $1 million to go toward the signing of Rondon.

 

Larks drop series finale in Liberal

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The Liberal BeeJays used a three-run eighth inning on their way to a 3-0 win over the Hays Larks Sunday.

Hays starter Nick Goza held Liberal scoreless through seven but gave up a single and RBI double in the eighth inning and the BeeJays would tack on two more to pick up the win.

Goza gave up two runs; just one earned on four hits over seven and a third innings but suffered the loss.

Tyler Leffler had three of the Larks eight hits but they never threatened after the sixth inning and advanced just runner past second in the loss.

Liberal took both games of the series dropping the Larks to 16-11 overall and 12-11 in the Jayhawk League.

Hays has Monday off and returns home to host Liberal on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hays Eagles win Wild West Fest Tournament

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Jake Sedbrook’s walk-off, two-run double in the seventh inning Sunday gave the Hays Eagles Senior American Legion a 7-6 win over Paola clinching the Wild West Fest tournament Championship.

Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, Lane Downing drove in two with an RBI triple and with one out in the inning Sedbrook brought home the winning run with the double.

Sedbrook was three-for-four with two RBIs in the game.

Reliever Brady Bieker earned the win in relief. He allowed one run over two innings.

With the win Hays moves to 23-6 on the season.

The Eagles are set to travel to Kansas City for a tournament later this week.

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