BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The Hays Eagles ended the Great Bend Chiefs' season with a hard-fought 7-4 victory in the first championship game of the Zone 3 American Legion baseball tournament. The Hays Eagles (19-4) qualify for the AA/AAA Legion state tournament July 28-31 at Pittsburg.
The odds were heavily stacked against the Chiefs (17-9), who had to beat the top-seeded Eagles twice.
The Eagles drew their second bye Wednesday, thanks to archaic Legion rules which granted the Eagles a full two-game advantage over the Chiefs, who had thrown their best three pitchers.
Great Bend Chief Paco Hernandez played brilliantly with a complete game performance while reaching base six of eight times.
Hays has captured state Legion baseball titles in 1961, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 2012, 2013 and 2015.
EAGLES 7, CHIEFS 4 – Three Hays runners scored after drawing walks and a fourth runner scored after back-to-back errors. Chiefs pitcher Edwin Chavez (2-4) worked six solid innings to keep Great Bend within range. Hays pitcher Blake Schmidt (5-0) pitched five innings.
Nine Chiefs reached base in the final three innings, but only one run scored.
Schmidt retired Mathew Moeder with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Tyler Stuhlsatz scored on a sixth-inning wild pitch for a 7-4 score, but reliever Dalton Dale retired Sage Koelsch, Jade Poe and Paco Hernandez to end the threat. Chavez and Brad Beck made seventh-inning outs to strand two runners on base.
The Chiefs played their best baseball of the summer in the Zone tournament.
"I'm proud of our guys. We played really hard and well at times," said Chiefs coach Randy Beck. "We left baserunners on base, which really hurt. We didn't get a hit to bust it open. You've got to hit with Hays because they will score runs. Hays is a good baseball team."
Stefan Spray singled home Koelsch to ignite a three-run first inning. Poe scored on Gavin Haberman's groundout. Spray scored on Tyler Stuhlsatz's single for a 3-0 lead.
Hays' Carson Spray scored on Bradyn Dreher's second-inning groundout. Brady Kreutzer and Jack Fields delivered RBI doubles in a four-run third inning. Remington Cox ripped an RBI single and Dale scored on an error for a 5-3 lead.
Kreutzer scored in a Carson Spray fourth-inning sacrifice fly. Fields scored on a pair of fifth-inning errors for a 7-3 lead.
CHIEFS 2, NEWTON 1 (G3) – Chiefs pitcher Hernandez (2-0) threw brilliantly in a hard-fought 2-1 elimination victory over the Newton Knights Wednesday at Lawson-Biggs Field.
"Paco was on his game today," Beck said. "He threw his fastball past batters and his curveball was working. Paco worked ahead in counts. Throwing strike one and strike two were big."
Hernandez retired Trev Gobulski and Luke Hirsh on back-to-back pop flies to first baseman Stefan Spray to strand the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Andrew Barrton, Griff Davis and Luke Boston singled. Barron scored on a wild pitch before Chiefs coach Beck calmed Hernandez with a quick visit. Hernandez had retired 18 of 19 batters until the seventh inning.
The Chiefs made two first-inning runs hold up. Hernandez tripled home Jade Poe after a single. Hernandez scored on Spray's groundout for a 2-0 lead off Newton pitcher Andrew Barron.
Chiefs centerfielder Gavin Haberman caught four fly balls. Third baseman Brad Beck, shortstop Koelsch, second baseman Chavez and first baseman Spray combined to record 12 outs with flawless defensive play.
Hays Eagles 014 110 0 – 7 8 0
GB Chiefs 300 001 0 – 4 4 3
Schmidt, Dale (6) and Cox. Chavez and Beck. W–Schmidt, 5-0. L–Chavez, 2-4. 2B–GB–Koelsch; H–Cox, Kreutzer, Fields.
GB Chiefs 200 000 0 – 2 7 0
Newton 000 000 1 – 1 4 0
Hernandez and Poe. Barron and Boston. W–Hernandez, 2-0. L–Boston. 2B–N–Slechta. 3B–GB–Hernandez.
LEGION AAA ZONES (19 and under)
July 28-July 31
AAA POOL--Hays 19-4 vs. Ottawa 15-18; Pittsburg 19-7 vs. Topeka Senators 21-11; Hays vs. Pittsburg; Senators vs. Ottawa; Hays vs. Senators; Pittsburg vs. Ottawa (top 2 advance)
HAYS (19-4)—State titles 1961, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2015; PITTSBURG (19-7)—State titles 1970, 2008, 2009, 2014; TOPEKA SENATORS (21-11); OTTAWA (15-18)—State titles 1994, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017
AA POOL--Silver Lake 18-7 vs. Republic County 10-13; Larned 10-8 vs. Marysville 13-11; Silver Lake vs. Larned; Marysville vs. Republic County; Larned vs. Republic County; Silver Lake vs. Marysville
SILVER LAKE (18-7)—State titles 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1992, 2005; LARNED (10-8)—State titles 1990, 2000, 2016, 2019; MARYSVILLE (13-11); REPUBLIC COUNTY (10-13)
LEGION AAA ZONES (19 and under)
1 TOPEKA—Salina Falcons 9, Leavenworth 0; Salina Falcons 7, Topeka Senators 3; Topeka Senators 13, Leavenworth 3; Topeka Senators 7, Salina Falcons 1; 1ST—Topeka Senators 15, Salina Falcons 5
2 EMPORIA—Emporia 12, Ottawa 3; Pittsburg 13, Emporia 1; Ottawa 20, Emporia 2; 1ST—Pittsburg 5, Ottawa 2
3 GREAT BEND—Great Bend 12, Newton 11; Hays 3, Great Bend 1; Great Bend 2, Newton 1; 1ST—Hays 7, Great Bend 4
LEGION AA ZONES (19 under)
1 SABETHA—Doniphan County 10, Seneca 1; Marysville 6, Hiawatha 5; Marysville 4, Corning 0; Doniphan Co. 6, Sabetha 2; Corning 7, Seneca 6; Hiawatha 4, Sabetha 2; Corning 7, Hiawatha 3; Marysville 6, Doniphan County 1; Doniphan Co. 14, Corning 11; 1ST—Marysville 24, Doniphan County 21
2 IOLA—Iola def. Wamego; Silver Lake 3, Iola 0; Iola 8, Wamego 0; Iola 8, Silver Lake 3; 1ST—Silver Lake 7, Iola 53
BELOIT—Clifton 5, Norton 3; Republic County 7, Smith Center 1; Beloit 16, Clifton 12; Smith Center 18, Norton 3; Republic County 7, Beloit 5; Smith Center 13, Clifton 10; Beloit 11, Smith Center 10; 1ST—Republic County 8, Beloit 6
4 HOISINGTON—Larned 11, Otis-Bison 1; G2—Goodland 7, Ellinwood 3; Larned 4, Goodland 3; Otis-Bison 18, Ellinwood 9; Goodland def. Otis-Bison; Goodland 4, Larned 2; 1ST—Larned 15, Goodland 5
LEGION A ZONES (17 under)
CHANUTE—Pittsburg 14, Ottawa 4; Overbrook def. Garnett; Pittsburg 4, Iola 3; Overbrook def. Chanute; Iola 14, Garnett 0; Chanute 8, Ottawa 3; Pittsburg def. Overbrook; Iola 3, Chanute 1; 7-23—Overbrook vs. Iola
CLAY CENTER—Clay Center 10, Hays (17) 2; Salina Eagles 6, Clay Center 4; Junction City 12, McPherson (15) 9; McPherson 6, Hays (17) 1; Junction City 10, Salina Eagles 0; McPherson 7, Clay Center 2; Salina Eagles 8, McPherson 2; 1ST—Junction City 14, Salina Eagles 3
MCPHERSON—Burden Central def. Winfield; McPherson (16) 15, Hays (15) 0; McPherson 6, Central Burden 0; Hays (15) def. Winfield; Burden Central 7, Hays (15), 0
TOPEKA—Topeka Senators 8, Marysville 4; Hiawatha def. Seneca; Salina Hawks 7, Hiawatha 0; Doniphan County 5, Senators 1; Salina Hawks 16, Doniphan County 0 (SQ); Senators 12, Seneca 1; Marysville def. Hiawatha; Senators 30, Marysville 10; Doniphan County 8, Senators 6
A STATE QUALIFIERS—Salina Hawks 37-4, Junction City 16-7, McPherson (16), 18-8-1; Salina Eagles 20-12, Burden Central 11-4-2 Doniphan County, Pittsburg, Overbrook/Iola winner
