GRANT COHEN - NBC Media Relations
HUTCHINSON, Kan. - Behind 11 strikeouts in six innings from Carlos Tavera, the Hays, KS Larks defeated the Lonestar, TX Baseball Club 5-3 in the 2020 NBC World Series powered by Evergy on Tuesday night at Hobart-Detter Field.
Cruz Aranda led the Larks offensively with three hits in five at-bats, with a total of four players from Hays recording a multi-hit game. Lonestar’s Ronnie Bailey and Max Puls recorded two hits each.
Puls came up with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring the game’s first run off a sacrifice fly to center field. Two fielding errors allowed Lonestar to score another run and lead 2-0 later in the inning.
Two singles in the top of the fifth inning allowed Hays to tie the game up 2-2, with a wild pitch after a triple by Aranda in the top of the sixth inning giving the Larks the one-run lead. Lonestar knotted the game at three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Larks scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning off a fielding error and a single to keep the two-run lead.
Hays takes on the Cheney, KS Diamond Dawgs on Thursday in Wichita while Lonestar will face the Houston, TX Express on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. in Hutchinson.