Senior Legion set for zone tournament, will face Dodge in first round
By RANDY GONZALES
The Hays Legion baseball team will play the club with the worst record in the Class AAA Zone 7 tourney field.
But that same team -- Dodge City -- claimed Hays as one of its nine wins this summer in splitting a doubleheader with the Eagles last week.
"Hopefully, it opened our guys' eyes," Hays coach Mike Jenner said. "Going into that doubleheader, (Dodge City) didn't have anything to lose; we did."
Hays (25-14), the No. 1 seed, will play No. 4 Dodge City 7 p.m. Tuesday at Larks Park. At 4 p.m., No. 2 Great Bend (21-12) will play No. 3 Salina (25-16).
The double-elimination tourney goes through Thursday, with the winner advancing to next week's state tournament in Pittsburg.
The Legion, which had its best regular season record since 2005, will try to make its first state tournament since 2004. That year, led by Brock Nehls, Dusty Washburn and Aaron Breit, they finished 37-14 and were 1-2 at state.
In 2008, Hays is 2-2 against Salina and 4-0 against Great Bend.
"Every game (against Salina) has been a real good game, except the game (Evan) Freeman beat us," Jenner said. "Great Bend, we beat four times, but it's still Great Bend."
Jenner will go with right-hander Kelton Rule (6-2) against Dodge City. Right-hander Travis Budke (6-1) will pitch the second game. A seventh win by either pitcher would be the most by an Eagle since Breit, currently in the minors, went 7-1 in 2004.
Right-hander Logan Downing (2-2) is the team's third starter in the tourney.
"I don't see Dodge winning it," Jenner said. "But all three of (the rest of) us could win it."
Matt Maskus (3-2), the team's lone left-hander, has a sore arm and is unavailable to pitch this week.
It also is unlikely he will be able to swing a bat, and could be limited to pinch-running duties.
"He had been one of our leading hitters all summer, too," Jenner said.
Hitting will be important, Jenner said.
"The key for us is to get the offense back to where it was at the beginning of the summer," Jenner said. "Too many men left on base."
Jenner, who hadn't coached the Legion since 2002, likes what he sees from his club as it seeks a berth at state.
"It would mean quite a bit," Jenner said of going to state. "At the beginning of the summer, I didn't know what to expect. As the summer went along, they showed they can play with any team in the state."
* Admission is $5 each day for adults; children under 12 will be admitted free.
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