BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

WICHITA — The Great Bend Bat Cats apparently left their bats back home.

After seven innings in the NBC World Series, the Bat Cats trailed 7-0 against the Liberal Bee Jays extending their NBC scoreless streak to 14 innings.

Great Bend (24-11) will face a win-or-go home Tuesday game against Shawnee Between the Lines in pool play.

The Liberal showdown turned on a pair of bases-loaded situations.

When the Bat Cats loaded the bases against Brooks Kappelmann, Jaxon Bunkers struck out and Chase Kessler grounded into a tailor-made second-inning double play.

When Liberal's Cole Manuel saw a 2-0 fastball after three consecutive walks, he blasted a grand slam homer off Bat Cats reliever Jackson Thompson.

Thompson lost his ability to throw a strike after being called for ball 3 on a pitch-clock violation. He proceeded to walk three batters before delivering a room-service fastball to Manuel.

Great Bend pitchers gift wrapped Liberal's seven runs with five walks and a hit batter who all scored runs.

Through 13 innings, the Bat Cats are batting 3-for-15 with runners on base. Great Bend lacked patience at the plate with a pair of 6-pitch innings.

Liberal 000 040 30 —

Great Bend 000 000 00 —

Kappelmann, Whipple (6) and Adams. Alarid, Thompson (5), Murphy (6), Bekedam (7) and Kessler. 2B—L—Rojas. HR—L—Manuel.

NBC POOLS

POOL A—Lonestar Baseball 2-0 (+3), Seattle Blackfins 1-1 (-1), Hutchinson Monarchs 1-1 (+4), TPA Texas 0-2 (-6)

POOL B—Junction City Brigade 2-0 (+13), Austin Gold Sox 1-0 (+3), Oklahoma Lookouts 0-1 (-7), Seattle Cheney Studs 0-2 (-9)

POOL C—Santa Barbara Foresters 2-0 (+21), Between The Lines Hornets 1-1 (-11), Liberal Bee Jays 0-1 (-2), Great Bend Bat Cats 0-1 (-8)

POOL D—Hays Larks 1-0 (+8), Alaska Goldpanners 1-0 (+2); San Diego Stars 0-1 (-8), Tess’s Army 0-1 (-2)

NBC WORLD SERIES

-23—Lonestar Baseball 6, Hutchinson 5; Austin Gold Sox 10, Seattle Cheney Studs 7

6-24—Seattle Blackfins 6, TPA Texas 5; Between the Lines Hornets 7, Liberal 5; Santa Barbara Foresters 8, Great Bend 0; Junction City Brigade 7, Oklahoma Lookouts 0

6-25—Hays Larks 11, San Diego Stars 3; Alaska Goldpanners 3, Tess's Army 1; Hutchinson 10, TPA Texas 5; Lonestar Texas, Seattle Blackfins

6-26—Santa Barbara 13, BT Hornets 0; Junction City 12, Seattle Cheney Studs 6; Great Bend vs Liberal; 12—Oklahoma Lookouts vs Austin Gold Sox; 3 p.m.—Hays Larks vs Tess's Army; 6 p.m.--San Diego Stars vs Alaska Goldpanners

6-27—12—Austin Gold Sox vs Junction City; 3 p.m.—TPA Texas vs Lonestar Baseball; 6 p.m.—Seattle Cheney Studs vs Oklahoma Lookouts; 8:30 p.m.—Hutchinson vs Seattle Blackfins