By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

The Hays Indians baseball team finished as state runner-up to Concordia last year in the K-18 title game. The Indians are a veteran squad, with players entering their freshman and sophomore years of high school. Two players, Hayden Hutchison and Chandler Rule, played significant roles for the Hays High School varsity in the spring.

The Hays Express is a first-year team. Their players will be eighth graders and freshmen this fall. The Indians' advantages in age, experience and size was evident in a K-18 first-round West Regional matchup on Saturday morning at Dusty Glassman Ball Park. The Indians, led by a no-hitter from starter Hunter Gonzales, defeated the Express, 16-1, in a game called in the bottom of the fourth inning because of the 15-run rule.

"The (Express) will be there where we are in a couple of years," Indian assistant coach Justin Trout said. "Did we have a little bit more experience? Yes, we did. It showed today. They put up a heck of a fight. They played a really good game."

The Indians (36-8) qualified for the state tournament and will play in the West Regional semifinal today at noon, with the regional title game scheduled for 7 p.m.  The Indians stayed together in 2010 to try to win a state crown.

"I know as a coach, (last year) has driven me," Trout said. "It left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth, so I hope that they have half as much a bad taste in their mouth as I do."

The Express (16-19) committed six errors, at least one in every inning. The Indians collected 13 hits and eight starters scored a run.

"They have a little more maturity," Express assistant coach Jason Clark said. "Those kids have got another year ahead of us. Our kids did very well this season, though, they got better each week."

Indian center fielder Dan Bittel and catcher Jake Sedbrook, the top two hitters in the lineup, each reached base all four times and scored every plate appearance. Rule drove in four runs, while Hutchison added three RBIs.

"Jake Sedbrook, he is probably offensively our most improved player," Trout said. "He did a great job. Maybe defensively as well. He stepped up. He didn't start the season as our starting catcher, but he has earned that."

Gonzales received the start over Hutchison, who posted a 2.72 earned-run average and no-hitter for HHS in the spring. A right-hander, Gonzales had improved mentally throughout the summer -- "knowing that he has got the stuff to get guys out," Trout said -- and had thrown well his last several appearances, a trend that continued Saturday.

"He was consistent and threw strikes," Clark said. "Moved the ball in and moved the ball out."

Gonzales was nicked for a first-inning run but retired the final 11 batters. Gonzales had four strikeouts, one walk and seven ground-ball outs. No balls were hit out of the infield.

"He did exactly what we expected," Trout said. "He stepped up. He pounded the strike zone. A lot of strikes. Mixed it up really well. Had a good breaking ball today. He pitched today. He didn't just get up there and throw the ball."

The Indians responded with four runs in the first, three in the second, six in the third and three in the fourth before the game was called. Rule, batting cleanup, delivered two-run singles in the first two innings. The Indians sent 10 batters to the plate in the third inning against losing pitcher Cam Klaus. Hutchison finished the game in the fourth with a two-run single to left.

"We knew that this game was really important," Trout said. "We knew that we had to get this one to get to where we wanted to be and came out and took care of business."