One Is Never Enough

    The Dodge City Athletics' winning streak ended at three games after a 3-1 loss to the Hays Larks Sunday at Cavalier Field.
    Dodge only allowed one earned run and stranded a total of nine baserunners on the night to fall to 3-6 in Jayhawk League play and 7-6 overall.
    "I think we did a good job of executing to move our guy over and once we got there, we forgot about what we were trying to do at the plate," A's manager Jeremy Irlbeck said. "We left nine guys on base and at some point, someone's got to come up and do a job. We can't continue to go empty over and over and over again."
    A's starting center fielder Landon Anderson left three runners on, while right fielder Matt Kempin, left fielder Josh Wilson and first baseman Jenzen Torres stranded two apiece.
    Early in the game, it looked as if Dodge was headed to its fourth straight win of the summer. After starter Kelvin Colon kept Hays (6-6, 4-5 Jayhawk) off the board in the top of the first, Anderson got things started early for the A's with a lead-off single to left field.   
    The next at-bat, shortstop Troy Larson reached on a fielder's choice after Anderson was called out at second. Two batters later, Kempin hit a RBI-double to right center, scoring Larson from first, and Dodge took a quick 1-0 advantage.
    That would be the lone run for the A's on the night.
    "When you only score one run, it's tough to do a whole lot," Irlbeck said. "I think we came out flat, and that showed. And I think that's the most disappointing thing. That's something that we can control, we can control our effort. If we get beat, we get beat, but tonight I think we beat ourselves and that's unacceptable."
    In the top of the second, Hays second baseman Jason Morriss reached on an error by third baseman Oscar Sigala and later advanced to third from second on a wild pitch by Colon. Morriss then came home to score after a passed ball by A's catcher Paul Rodriguez.
    The Larks plated a second run in the inning on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Sean Wilson.
    "You can't have an error to extend an inning, and then a walk and then allow a guy to come in and score. That can't happen," Irlbeck said. "We can't allow them to have four outs in an inning."
    In the fourth, the Larks scored their third and final run after center fielder Codi Harshman tagged Colon for a solo shot down the left-field line. The home run was the only earned run Colon allowed in seven innings of work.
    Rain washed out Saturday's matchup between the A's and Larks. That game is tentatively rescheduled for July 30.
    The A's head to Wichita today to face the Titans, a team they beat 6-0 last Friday, and then return home Tuesday to face the Larks again at 7 p.m.