The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion baseball season has come to a close with a 3-0 loss in New Orleans against the Oklahoma state champs. Oklahoma only scored all three runs in the bottom of the seventh in a otherwise scoreless ball game.
Hays though did have opportunities to score. The Eagles stranded nine base runners total with five of those at second and two at third base. Hays had their best opportunities to score in the third when they loaded the bases with two outs on singles by Casey Sedbrook, Riley Kaus and a walk by Hayden Hutchison. A passed ball by the catcher when Jarrett Sanders was at the plate set up a close play at home where Sedbrook was called out trying to steal.
Hays also had a runner at second with nobody out to start the fifth inning when Taylor Renz singled and then advanced to second on a throwing error. Renz moved to third on a fly ball to right field, but the next two batter flied out to end the threat.
Oklahoma led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double and single to put runners at the corners and no outs. Taylor Renz came up throwing on a RBI single to right field and appeared to have easily thrown out a runner at third, but the umpire rule the runner safe. That led to a sacrifice bunt for an RBI. On the next play catcher Jarrett Sanders appeared to have thrown a runner trying to steal third. That runner then came around on a RBI single to make the game 3-0.
Josh Heifner took just his second loss of the season throwing a complete game eight innings. Allowing 11 hits, 3 runs, walked just two and struck out eight.
Oklahoma’s Payton Blass pitched all nine innings allowing eight hits, no runs, striking out thirteen and walking only two.
Each team had one error. Hays left nine on base, Oklahoma left ten runners aboard.
Hays finishes the summer at 46-10. Oklahoma is one of four teams left in the tournament and improves their record to 28-15.
Coach Post Game Interview: Brad Kelly
