BY HAILEY CHAPMAN
The Hays Larks defeated the Mud Daubers for the third consecutive game Monday night to improve their record to 17-4.
The Larks started slow, leaving the first inning scoreless, but responded to a lone Valley Center run with three of their own. They tacked on two more runs, with one in the third and seventh innings.
Jimmy DeLeon provided a big performance at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBI’s. Jarrod Belbin went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Alex Strachen, George Southerland and Brook Brannon provided the remaining three hits in the Larks eight-hit bid.
The winning pitcher on the evening was Wyatt Divis who went the distance with five innings of work, allowing only one run on two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. Rustin Hays, Mason Myhre and Nash Neff all combined for the last four innings, allowing no runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Divis moved to 4-0 this year on the mound.
The final game of the series will was played Tuesday night, with Hays winning 9-8.
Larks bounce back from series loss in run rule fashion
The Larks advanced to 16-4 after dominating wins against the Valley Center Mud Daubers.
On Saturday night, the Larks trailed Valley Center 7-4 before a huge nine-run seventh inning to gain the lead 15-7. In the eighth, they continued in their dominant performance, scoring four runs to force the run-rule.
Game leaders from Saturday night included Justin Lee going 3-for-5 with a grand slam and Jimmy DeLeon 2-for-3 with a three-run home run. Tommy Garcia earned the win on the bump with one inning pitched, while Christian Pearcy and Hernan Yanez provided support in the remaining six innings.
On Friday night, the Larks continued their stellar performance, this time gaining the lead in the first inning and never letting up. The Larks scored two in the first inning, seven in the second, three in the fourth and one in the fifth and sixth. The game only went to seven innings as the Larks were up by 12 to force another run-rule.
Game leaders included Justin Lee 2-for-3 with an RBI double, Hernan Yanez 3-for-3 with 4 RBI’s, and Drake Angeron 2-for-4 with 2 RBI’s. The Larks were able to show their speed on the bases with an outstanding seven bases stolen on the night.
Winning pitcher for Game 2 was Ryan Ruder. In four innings pitched, he allowed one run on one hit, with two walks and two strikeouts. Nash Neff threw two innings, allowed one hit and struck out five while Mason Myhre threw one inning, giving up a home run, but bouncing back to get three consecutive outs with two being strikeouts.