BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Nearly all the rules of baseball had to be applied by the time the Great Bend Bat Cats won a wild 6-3 victory over the Kansas Cannons in Saturday's Sunflower Collegiate League home opener.
Bat Cats reliever Julio Heredia from Krugerville, Texas finished a 21/3-inning save by striking out Mike Williamson to leave the bases loaded. Heredia walked Gannon Snyder, Chase Clemons and Hunter Alvord. The Cannons delivered 11 hits, but stranded 12 baserunners.
Opening night Fireworks were appropriate after the Bat Cats pulled out a victory.
The craziest play occurred when Jordan Tucker was left hobbled at home plate when he apparently hit the baseball off his shoe with two runners on base. When the eighth-inning play wasn't properly called, the Cannons turned an inning-ending double play with Tucker hobbled at home because the baseball hit his foot.
A huge hometown crowd watched as Kade Goeke's would-be RBI single glance off baserunner Joey Marker to prevent a seventh-inning run. The seventh started when Tucker was called out on a bold attempted steal of home.
Jesse Ponce scored when Kyler Horsman drew a bases-loaded first-inning walk for a 1-0 Bat Cats lead. Cannons starter Gavin Oswald yielded no hits and pitched around seven baserunners.
Zeb Henry scored on Gannon Snyder's double and Chase Clemons singled in Snyder for a 2-1 Cannons lead.
Fortunately, the Cannons' defense was generous, committing two errors that led to a 4-run fifth inning. Goeke scored on Jesse Ponce's double. Ponce scored on Tucker's infield single. Jhett Creel scored when Cooper Smith's groundball was misplayed. Smith scored on a Garrett Ninness forceout for a 5-2 lead.
Rightfielder Tucker alertly saved a seventh-inning run when he threw out Cooper Martin at home on a Bermuda triangle base hit by Snyder. Henry scored on a passed ball for a 5-3 score. Great Bend's Tyler Stuhlsatz (1-0) worked 22/3 innings to earn the victory.
Horsman's seeing-eye single scored Creel with a valuable eighth-inning insurance run for a 6-3 lead.
BAT CATS 3, KANSAS CANNONS 2 — The Kansas Cannons executed a fifth-inning triple-play, but lost 3-2 to the Bat Cats Sunday at Augusta.
Horsman singled and Christian Ammann was hit by a pitch to start the fifth inning. The fun started when Kyle Walker lined out to second baseman Cooper Martin. Shortstop Christian Caruso doubled up Horsman after a throw by Martin. Christian Ammann was tagged out in a rundown from Martin-to-Caruso-to first baseman Mike Williamson for an ESPN-worthy triple play.
The Bat Cats delivered superb pitching by Carson Sowell (1-0) and Carson Bougher. Sowell struck out eight batters. Bougher retired nine of 10 batters with four strikeouts in three shutout innings.
Great Bend scored three unearned runs. Horsman singled in Creel, who escaped a pickoff on an error, and Ammann doubled in Horsman for a 2-0 first inning lead. The Cannons' Williamson singled in Zeb Henry for a 2-1 score.
Creel singled in Jordan Tucker for the game-winner after Ponce reached base on a 2-out error for a 3-1 lead. Kane Springer doubled in Caruso in the sixth inning for a 3-2 score.
Kansas Cannons 002 000 100 — 3 11 3
GB Bat Cats 100 040 01x — 6 6 1
Oswald, Willett (4), Grijalva (7) and Wray, Springer (7). Cavazos, Stuhlsatz (5), Heredia (7) and Creel. W—Stuhlsatz, 1-0. L—Willett. SV—Heredia. 2B—BC—Ponce, Ninness; KC—Snyder.
GB Bat Cats 200 100 000 — 3 8 1
Kansas Cannons 100 001 000 — 2 5 3
Sowell, Bougher (7) and Creel. Iverson, Maholland (5), Shaultz (7), Holzer (9) and Wray. W—Sowell, 1-0. L—Iverson. SV—Bougher. 2B—GB—Ammann; KC—Springer.
