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Bat Cats bounce back to beat Cannons
NBC champion Monarchs rout Bat Cats, 10-3
volski2
Bat Cats pitcher Parker Volski
Updated: Jun 26, 2024, 11:02 PM
Published: Jun 25, 2024, 3:23 AM

BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

The charmed life of Julio Heredia continues for the Great Bend Bat Cats. Heredia maintained a 0.00 ERA with five strikeouts to spark an 11-4 victory over the Kansas Cannons Tuesday. Heredia escaped a bases-loaded eighth-inning situation by striking out Hunter Alvord.

The Bat Cats (10-6, 9-6 Jayhawk) have swept three games from the Kansas Cannons (14-6, 12-5 Jayhawk).

BAT CATS 11, CANNONS 4 – After trailing 4-0, the Bat Cats scored 11 runs on 12 singles and 10 walks. Chayse Gruber (1-0) Heredia and Kade Goeke combined for 42/3 scoreless innings. 

Great Bend native Gruber escaped Carson Sowell's bases-loaded jam. First baseman Cooper Smith caught a pop fly by the fence. Center fielder Anthony Capobianco caught Alvord's bases-loaded fly ball. Shortstop Jesse Ponce and second baseman Joey Marker combined for a pair of double-play groundballs.

The Cannons led 4-0. Lane Haworth hit an RBI first-inning single. 

Mason Wray and Zeb Henry hit RBI singles in a 3-run second inning. Mike Williamson scored on the wildest play of the summer. With runners on first and second, Capobianco appeared to catch a fly ball by Christian Carus before dropping the baseball. Williamson scored from second base after properly tagging up. The base umpire signaled a "safe sign," before pointing to first base with an "out," gesture creating chaos. Wray, starting at first base, never tagged, but was ruled safe at second base. Henry followed with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead. 

Garrett Ninness delivered a 2-run single to finish a 5-run third inning. Smith, Christian Ammann and Capobianco drew bases-loaded walks. Smith's 2-run single drove in Marker and Ponce in the fourth inning.

Ninness scored on an error and Ponce hit an RBI single in the fifth inning. Ammann homered in the sixth inning. Ian George delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning.

MONARCHS 10, BAT CATS 3 – The vintage "Black Bat" uniforms didn't work. 

Defending NBC World Series champion Hutchinson roared past the Great Bend "Black" Cats 10-3 in Monday's rescheduled Jayhawk League baseball showdown. The Monarchs (12-5, 11-5 Jayhawk) move into third place.

Julio Heredia maintained his 0.00 ERA with three strikeouts while recording four outs.

Southpaw starter Parker Volski (1-2) was poised to escape a first-inning jam. But Volski's perfect pickoff attempt on Brett Smajstrla was foiled when first baseman Cooper Smith was unable to throw to second base in time.

The Monarchs took advantage for a 3-run first inning and coasted past the Bat Cats 10-3. Monarchs Jaden Gustafson and Nicky Sackett homered. Austin Coyle, Jarrett Flaggert and Sackett each drove in two runs.

Great Bend was held hitless for four innings. Jesse Ponce's single drove in Kade Goeke and broke up Cole Toureau's no-hitter. Garrett Ninness singled in Ian George and Kyle Walker for a 2-run sixth inning off reliever Carson Cornelius.

Bat Cat Cooper Smith hit into a pair of double plays. Center fielder Smajstrla relayed Smith's fly ball to double up Ponce at first base.  Smith's ninth-inning groundball turned into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Coyle and Flaggert delivered first-inning RBIs and Smajstrla scored on a wild pitch. Coyle tripled home Cooper Harris and scored on a third-inning groundout for a 5-0 lead. 

Gustafson's homer made it 6-1. Blake Bradford hit a sixth-inning RBI. Flaggert's sacrifice fly was followed by Sackett's 2-run seventh-inning homer for a 10-3 final.

Cannons 130 00 000 – 4 8 1

GB Bat Cats 005 221 01x – 11 12 0

Gottl, Bingesser (3), Willett (5) and Wray. Sowell, Gruber (5), Heredia (7), Goeke (9) and George. W–Gruber, 1-0. L–Gottl, 1-1. 2B–KC–Diggins. HR–GB–Ammann.

GB Bat Cats 000 012 000 – 3 5 3

Hutchinson 302 011 30x – 10 7 0

Volski, Bougher (3), Stuhlsatz (6), Heredia (7) and George. Toureau, Carson Cornelius (6), Scott (8) and Harris. W–Toureau. L–Volski, 1-2. 2B–GB–Creel; DK–Smith. 3B–H–Coyle. HR–H–Gustafson, Sackett.

JAYHAWK COLLEGIATE

Haysville Aviators 13-4 14-5

Kansas Cannons 12-5 14-6

Hutchinson Monarchs 11-5 12-5

Derby Twins 10-6 11-6

GB Bat Cats 9-6 10-6

Kingman Islanders 6-10 6-10

Wichita Dirtbags 3-10 3-10

Diamond Kings 3-10 3-10

Newton Rebels 3-14 3-14

THURSDAY–Bat Cats 14, Junction City 1; Derby 8, Haysville 0

FRIDAY—Haysville 12, Derby 0; Newton 13, Kingman 8; Cannons 6, Monarchs 2

SATURDAY–Bat Cats 10-13, Diamond Kings 2-7; Cannons 16, Dirtbags 3; Haysville 6, Newton 4; Derby 15, Dodge City 6; Monarchs 15, Kingman 2

SUNDAY–Hutchinson 3, Kingman 2; Cannons 5, Dirtbags 1

MONDAY–Hutchinson 10, Bat Cats 3; Haysville 11, Newton 10

TUESDAY–Bat Cats 11, Cannons 4; Dirtbags at Kingman; Hutchinson 13, Haysville 8; Derby 19, Newton 1

WEDNESDAY–Bat Cats at Cannons; Dirtbags at Kingman; Haysville at Hutchinson; Derby at Newton
Second-place Cougars sweep Garden City
homer
BARTON SPORTS INFORMATION PHOTO DIEGO SANO Barton Cougar Aly Lawrence delivers a base hit.
Updated: Apr 7, 2025, 1:43 PM
Published: Apr 7, 2025, 1:22 PM
The Barton Cougar softball team drilled five homers to spark a doubleheader sweep over Garden City 12-1 and 9-6 Sunday at Cougar Field. The Cougars (25-9, 19-3 Jayhawk) drop Garden City to 19-15, 11-9 Jayhawk. The Cougars travel to Dodge City Wednesday. Karter Alvord's grand slam ended game one 12-1 after Chloe Enslinger and Elina Bartlett homered earlier. Bartlett's 3-run shot in game two set the stage for a 9-6 victory for the Cougars' 14th straight win over Garden City. Alvord and Chloe Enslinger led the squad's 20 hits with 4-of-7 performances each, Alvord's 9th home run clinching game one as Enslinger's two-run shot in the opener's third frame posted her 14th home run of the year putting Barton up 3-0. Peyton McCormick finished 3-of-6 with three RBI, connecting on her 9th of the year on a solo fence clearer in the fourth inning of the nightcap for a 5-2 lead. Bartlett belted two home runs, opening with a 2-of-3 performance with a pair of RBI's including a fifth inning dinger before her 3-run blast in game two's first frame recorded her 6th of the year. Meleia Ingram (13-4) struck out nine batters, yielding a homer to Garden City's Alyssa Santana. Brooklynn Angielski (10-4) yielded 10 hits and struck out three batters. Reliever Alicia Goseland pitched two frames, yielding a trio of seventh-inning runs. COUGARS 12, GARDEN CITY 1 (G1) — Laney Wood's one-out single in the third would score on McCormick's reach on error, with Enslinger's two-run long ball growing the lead to 3-0. The Cougars scored four fifth-inning runs. Aly Lawrence tripled and scored on McCormick's sac fly. Bartlett's home run was followed by Ava Fink's 2-run single for a 7-1 lead. Garden City committed two errors with Lawrence and Enslinger reaching base. Bartlett's sac fly to left plated one. Thatcher's hit-by pitch set the table for Alvord's grand slam homer. COUGARS 9, GARDEN CITY 6 (G2) — Wood's leadoff walk scored on McCormick's first of two hits in the nightcap. Bartlett extending her consecutive game hit streak to 10 straight by connecting on a no-doubt, three-run blast for her second yard exiter of the twinbill. Garden City connected on five hits in the fourth inning to cut the deficit in half, three hits coming with two outs including Santana's 2-RBI single. McCormick's 9th long ball of the year got one of the runs back in the home half with Garden City answering in the top of the fifth on a one-out hit and stolen base scoring on a double. The Cougars fired back with a 4-run fifth inning. Fink's ground out pushed one across the dish with two more heading home on Wood's 8th double. A fielding error would close out the four-run frame. Garden City scored a trio of seventh-inning runs, Maria Avendan Fori's hit an RBI triple followed by Maysen Kurene-Iwikau's 8th homer. Garden City 000 010 — 1 4 4 Barton 003 045 — 12 11 0 Ballestra Vargas, Olison (5) and Vonk. Ingram and Enslinger. W—Ingram 13-4. L—Ballastra Vargas. 2B—BC—Lawrence. 3B—BC—Lawrence. HR—BC—Enslinger, Bartlett, Alvord; GC—Santana Garden City 000 210 3 — 6 14 2 Barton 400 140 x — 9 9 0 Kurere Iwikau, Powell (5) and Galicia. L—Kurere Iwakau. 2B—BC—Wood, Thatcher, Alvord; GC—Kurere Iwikau, Olison. 3BGC—Avendnu Fori. HR—BC—Barlett, McCormick; GC—Kurere Iwikau JAYHAWK WEST Hutchinson 19-1 27-5 Barton 179-3 25-9 Butler 12-4 23-5 Garden City 11-9 19-15 Dodge City 11-9 19-19 Seward 5-13 11-21 Pratt 5-15 9-25 Colby 4-14 23-18 Hays NW 0-18 0-26 4-6—Barton 12-9, Garden City 1-6; Hutchinson 8-9, Friends 0-1; Pratt at Seward; Dodge City at Garden City 4-7—Hutchinson at Butler; Pratt at Fort Scott 4-9—Barton at Dodge City; Seward at Butler; Garden City at Pratt; Hays NW at Colby 4-10—Seward at Hays NW
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