By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Eddie Carl navigated through 100 degree heat, a "golf ball-sized" blister on his big toe and multiple long at-bats Thursday night.

Overall, though, Carl was pleased with his first start in 10 days,

"I feel pretty good," he said.

Carl, who missed his scheduled start Sunday because of an arm problem, threw more than 90 pitches in five innings against Dodge City.

He allowed one run on two hits with six strikeouts and three walks.

Carl received a no-decision in the Larks' comeback 4-3 victory that ended Hays' regular season with a 31-15 record and a Jayhawk League-best 25-11 mark. The outing likely will push Carl into a middle relief/No. 3 starter role for the NBC World Series in Wichita, which starts Tuesday for Hays.

An Eastern Arizona Community College Gila Monster product and University of New Mexico signee, Carl felt arm pain from his last start, a four-out, seven-run performance against Liberal on July 20.

"I am glad to be out there today," he said.

"I think it (the pain) was from weightlifting the week before in the gym, I just kind of took it easy on the upper body the last week or so."

He threw a bullpen last Friday and started Thursday. Carl struck out four batters in the first two innings and five in the first three.

At the end of three innings, Carl had thrown a first pitch strike to nine of 12 hitters - and four of them had gone full count. All but one batter saw at least four pitches and he used 60 pitches for nine outs.

"A lot of those hitters he was ahead in the count early, so he has got to make that quality pitch," Larks manager Frank Leo said. "1-2 is a key pitch for him. At 1-2, put somebody away. Put it around the plate so they can make contact, pitch to contact in that situation, instead of maybe trying to be too fine."

"He had to rely on spotting his fastball," Leo added. "I think if he has a split and has a good curve, 1-2 he is going to be putting people away. We'll have another bullpen session before the World Series."

Carl also had to deal with an aggravating blister on the big toe of his right foot. The blister, which Carl described as "golf ball-sized" started to affect him in the second inning, forced him to walk with a limp and was bandaged postgame.

"Starting about the second inning it hurt pretty bad," he said.

Carl allowed a third-inning run on a single and a double to the right-center gap. Pitching coach Keith Harper visited Carl in the fourth before the right-hander worked out of a jam in a 20-pitch inning. After a 1-2-3 fifth, Carl exited the game and saw a trainer.

"He has got a bad blister that developed," Leo said. "Nothing that has ever developed before. That is something that is going to have to get healed up."

Hennessey back at plate, mound

Kevin Hennessey has been the Larks' most productive hitter in the season's last two and a half weeks after a slow start to his summer season.

In the spring, Hennessey batted .347 with six homers and 33 RBI in 44 games for Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Ariz.).

Through the first 22 games of the summer season, Hennessey had a .222 average with three homers, 14 RBIs and 18 hits versus 16 strikeouts.

Starting with Salina on July 14 - a game where Hennessey collected a walk-off game-winning hit - Hennessey has consistently yielded offense from the No. 4 hole.

In the past 19 games, Hennessey has batted .365 with three homers, 26 RBI and nine doubles.

That included five hits, three for extra bases, in the five-game homestand that concluded Thursday night. He leads the Larks in RBIs (40), homers (six), doubles (16) and is tied for second in slugging percentage (.510).

"Just getting my confidence back," Hennessey said.

"I started to lose it there during probably the early part of the season to the last couple of weeks and now I am just feeling it and going back to what I usually do. When I have a lot of confidence it is hard to get me out."

Hennessey, the team's closer, also had a 1-2-3 ninth inning Thursday after he allowed four runs, including a homer, the previous night.