HHS baseball opens regional at home
By NICK McQUEEN
By winning three games in two parks in one night, the Hays High School baseball team earned the right to be a host site for the Class 5A Regional Championships.
Now, the attention turns to the first-round game Tuesday at the HHS field, and advancing to the title game for the opportunity to back up that No. 2 regional seeding.
Hays High (16-4) will play Emporia (5-15) in Tuesday's first round at 2 p.m. The winner advances to the 7 p.m. title game, facing the winner of the game between No. 3 McPherson (15-5) and No. 6 Salina South (6-14) game, set for 4:30 p.m.
The Indians have won five straight games since dropping a 9-5 decision to Salina Central in the Western Plains Diamond Classic. Indian coach Frank Leo said Saturday he wasn't sure who would take the mound for Hays High in the opener against Emporia, but a decision would be made after today's practice.
The re-emergence of senior left-hander Nathan Meier, (1-2), who didn't part of the season because of injury, gives the Indians another option.
So does senior Sam Rohleder (0-0), who pitched in the three games Friday, picking up two saves, one against Liberal and one in the completion of the suspended game against Dodge City late Friday night in Dodge City.
The Dodge City game was suspended Thursday in Hays, with HHS leading 4-1 in the second inning when rain stopped the action.
Junior Logan Downing, the Indians' most productive pitcher, moved to 6-0 with the Dodge City win, and will be pitching on three days rest, along the rest of the staff.
The Indians limited pitches in a 20-11 win over Liberal in the second game of their doubleheader Friday, using senior Matt Malott, sophomore Dan Moritz and Meier, who got his first win of the season in just his third pitching appearance.
His two losses have come against regional teams, McPherson and Salina South,.
In the game against Dodge City, Downing threw three innings Friday, in addition to his two Thursday.
Sophomore Derek Meyer pitched 1Ôªø 2âÑ3 innings, before Sam Rohleder "slammed the door" Leo said, for his third save of the season in a 9-7 Indian win.
The Indian offense is being led by Sam Rohleder. The senior has started all 20 games at third base and is hitting .405 with three doubles and 24 RBIs, followed by senior Taylor Pfannenstiel, who is batting .388 with a team-high 32 RBIs.
Emporia had just three wins heading into its final doubleheader, but swept Topeka-Highland Park to earn the No. 7 seed in the regional.
It was Emporia's first doubleheader sweep of the season.
A win by the Indians would mean they would face one of two teams they've already played.
Hays High split its season-opening doubleheader with Salina South, dropping the opener 5-2 to the Cougars, and winning 15-11 in extra innings in the nightcap.
In a triangular at McPherson, Hays High defeated Wichita/Kapaun-Mt. Carmel, but lost to the Bullpups, 7-3.
Last season, Hays High fell 7-2 at McPherson in the regional title game, losing to Bullpup standout starter Sam Stucky.
Earlier in the season, Hays High forced Stucky out of the game early when the two clubs met in McPherson.
Things to look for
* Hays High senior Matt Malott has moved into a tie for third place in the single-season stolen bases list under Leo.
The Indians' leadoff hitter has 22 steals on the season and needs just one more to move into a tie for second, and seven more to tie the record.
Jesse Denning stole 29 bases in 2000 when the Indians placed second in Class 5A.
* Two wins Tuesday would advance the Indians to the 5A state tournament at Wichita's Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. a home-away-from-home of sorts for Leo, who managed the Hays Larks to a runner-up finish in the National Baseball Congress World Series over the summer.
* A trip to state would be ninth under Leo. The three wins Friday gave the Indians a share of the 2008 Western Athletic Conference title with Great Bend. It was the 11th conference crown under Leo.
