BY JIM MISUNAS
NEWTON — Great Bend Bat Cats southpaw Kyle Winkler (Sam Houston State) was spectacular as usual by retiring his final 10 batters. Bat Cats relievers Zach Curry and George Austin were rock solid to dominate a 5-1 Sunflower Collegiate victory Sunday over the Newton Rebels.
The crafty Winkler (4-0) sports a 1.50 earned run average yielding four runs in 24 innings. The Bat Cat pitchers retired 19 of Newton's final 20 batters and struck out 10 batters.
The Bat Cats (15-3) maintain a 21/2-game lead on the Kansas Cannons (11-4) in the Sunflower Collegiate Baseball League.
The teams traded runs on wild pitches for a 1-1 tie. Peyton Roberson scored for Great Bend and Newton's Drew Wardell scored on Winkler's only mistake of his 6-inning performance.
As usual, the Bat Cats used late-inning offense to pull away. Nick Parton's chopped sixth-inning single stayed fair down the third-base line. He scored on a Connor Chavez double.
Great Bend added three eighth-inning insurance runs off Newton relievers Jaxon Haynes and Ben Cazares. Parton doubled and scored on a Jace Wentling single. Brady Kreutzer singled in Wentling. Matthew Mendez singled home Chavez for a 5-1 lead. Great Bend delivered five doubles. Parton, Wentling and Chavez each had two hits.
GB Bat Cats 001 001 030 — 5 10 0
Newton 001 000 000 — 1 4 0
Winkler, Curry (7), Austin (8) and Hale. Miears, Lopez (2), Martin (3), Haynes (7), Casares (8) and Wardell. W—Winkler, 4-0. L—Martin. SV—Austin. 2B—GB—Chavez 2, Wentling, Parton, Webster.
SUNFLOWER COLLEGIATE
Great Bend Bat Cats 15-3
Kansas Cannons 11-5
Derby Twins 8-8
Haysville Aviators 7-7
Newton Rebels 6-9
Hutchinson Monarchs 6-10
Kingman Islanders 2-13
6-24—Cannons 5, Bat Cats 3; Rebels 6, Monarchs 4; Rebels 5, Monarchs 4; Aviators 14, Twins 9
6-25—Bat Cats 5, Rebels 2
6-26—Bat Cats 7, Dodge City 3; Aviators 9, Cannons 1; Monarchs 7, Islanders 2; Rebels 6, Twins 5
6-27—Bat Cats at Liberal; Cannons at Aviators; Monarchs at Islanders Newton at Derby
