BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
HAYSVILLE – Great Bend Bat Cats coach Jonathan Mariani celebrated his first two coaching victories with a 4-1 and 13-2 doubleheader sweep over the Haysville Aviators Tuesday. The Bat Cats (2-1) play at home Thursday and Friday against the Hutchinson Monarchs at Al Burns Memorial Field.
BAT CATS 4, HAYSVILLE 1 (G1 ) – Bat Cats pitcher Kyle Winkler worked five solid innings and reliever Kevin Schoneboom threw two shutout innings.
No. 2 hitter Matt Mendez delivered three hits with an RBI. Jace Woita and Armani Raygoza drove home runs.
BAT CATS 13, HAYSVILLE 2 (G2) – Great Bend's Chayse Gruber (1-0) struck out eight batters in four shutout innings. Raygoza and Connor Chavez each drove in three runs. Robby Bolin delivered two RBIs.
The Bat Cats broke the game open with a 6-run second inning. Peyton Robertson scored on an error. Bolin singled home Jace Wentling and Nick Parton. Chavez scored on a Mendez single. Bolin scored on Raygoza’s single. Robertson singled home Mendez for a 6-0 lead.
In the third inning, Nick Parton scored on Raygoza’s sacrifice fly. Chavez scored on a passed ball for an 8-1 lead. Mendez scored on Brady Kreutzer's fifth-inning sacrifice fly. Raygoza's homer ignited a 4-run seventh inning. Jackson Webster scored on a wild pitch. Wentling and Parton scored on a Chavez double.
"I'm 100 percent pleased. I can't ask for more pitching-wise and our bats came alive game two," Mariani said. "When you give up three runs in two games, that's good pitching. Chayse Gruber pitched great attacking the strike zone."
Mariani's goal is to maximize improvement for every Bat Cats player.
"We'll mix-and-match lineups because we want these guys to get better as baseball players," he said. "We've got a nice roster. We want everyone to get reps. It'll be exciting for Great Bend's fans to see the Bat Cats Thursday."
GB Bat Cats 120 001 0 – 4 8 1
Haysville 000 100 0 – 1
Winkler, Schoneboom (6) and Nottlemann. Klein, Creason (4), Hannon (7) and Roosma. W–Winkler. L–Klein. 2B–GB–Raygoza. 3B–GB–Bolin.
GB Bat Cats 062 010 4– 13 12
Haysville 011 000 0 – 2 7 2
Treto, Gruber (4) and Wentling. Levinthal, Drouhard (2), Zhe-Yuan (3), Rico (6), Seals (7) and Jiminez. W–Gruber, 1-0. 2B–GB–Webster, Chavez; H–Ichikawa. HR–GB–Raygoza.
JAYHAWK COLLEGIATE
Great Bend Bat Cats 3-0
Derby Twins 3-0
Kansas Cannons 2-0
Hutchinson Monarchs 0-0
Kingman Islanders 0-2
Newton Rebels 0-2
Haysville Aviators 0-3
6-11—Cannons at Rebels
6-10—Bat Cats at Monarchs; Aviators at Islanders; Twins at Cannons; Curve at Newton
6-9—Monarchs at Bat Cats; Cannons at Twins; Islanders at Aviators
6-8—Monarchs at Bat Cats; Twins at Cannons; Islanders at Aviators
6-7—Bat Cats 11, Aviators 4; Cannons 5, Rebels 2; Twins 12-7, Islanders 8-1
6-6—Bat Cats 4-13, Aviators 1-2; Twins 7, Islanders 3; Cannons 3, Rebels 2;
6-3—Islanders 10, Bat Cats 9; Cannons 6, Aviators 3
