BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

HAYSVILLE – The Haysville Aviators sent a message to the Great Bend Bat Cats on the eve of the NBC Midwest Baseball Regional. The Aviators (23-23, 16-18) parlayed a nine-run first inning en route to a 15-5 Sunflower Collegiate League baseball victory Tuesday.

The teams meet again at 1 p.m. Thursday at Hutchinson's Hobart-Detter Field in the Midwest Regional. Zach Thornton earns the start for the Bat Cats.

Hot-hitting Cody Muncy doubled and drove in two runs after earning KCAC Player of the Year honors at Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Aviators pounded out six extra-base hits. Cole Broughton, Isaac Kim and Austin Albright each doubled and drove home two runs.  Grant Lake and Traelon Yarbrough scored the final two runs on wild pitches. 

Also driving in runs were Cole Lee, Mason Brinkley, Devon Garner and Yarbrough. The Aviators roughed up starter David Blackburn (3-3) for nine runs, nine hits and four extra-base hits in the first inning.

The Bat Cats (25-13, 20-13 Sunflower) dug a 9-0 hole and never recovered. 

The Bat Cats showed a pulse with a three-run third inning. Newcomer Austin Bonnel scored on a wild pitch. Noah Best singled and scored on a Zane Spinn double. Kyle Gates scored on a sacrifice fly by Great Bend native Brady Michel. Micah Grover scored on a fifth-inning error. Spinn doubled home Kyle Gates in the sixth inning.

GB Bat Cats 003 011 0 – 5 7 0

Aviators 903 002 x – 15 15 2

Blackburn, Tourney (3), Stich (6) and Forrest. Campbell, Urban (2), Bagwell (3), Van Allen (6) and Stephens, Garner (3). W–Bagwell, 4-1. L–Blackburn, 3-3. 2B–GB–Spinn 2; H–Lee, Muncy, Kim, Broughton. 3B–H–Albright.

GREAT BEND BAT CATS (25-13)

6-2–Bat Cats 17, Seeds 2 (W Gyeongju Kim 1-0), Bat Cats 5, Seeds 5-0 (W Ethan Thomas 1-0)

6-4–Bat Cats 8, Seeds 5 (W Thomas 2-0), Bats Cats 6, Seeds 1 (W Jake Kuntzendorf 1-0)

6-5–Bat Cats 8, Seeds 5 (W Chris Lenocker 1-0)

6-7–Rebels 8, Bat Cats 6 (L Kim 1-1)

6-8–Bat Cats 7, Rebels 3 (W Zach Thornton 1-0)

6-9–Bat Cats 9, Rebels 7 (W Matt Nedved 1-0)

6-11–Bat Cats 12, Rebels 1 (W Kuntzendorf 2-0)

6-12–Rebels 11, Bat Cats 5 (L David Blackburn 0-1)

6-19–Monarchs 6, Bat Cats 5 (L Lenocker 1-1) 

6-20–Bat Cats 11, Dodge City A's 4 (W Nedved 2-0)

6-21–Monarchs 5, Bat Cats 1 (L Diego Escobedo 0-1)

6-22–Bat Cats 13, Monarchs 0 (W Kuntzendorf 3-0)

6-23–Bat Cats 13, Monarchs 5 (W Nedved 3-0)

6-26–Sluggers 4, Bat Cats 3 (L Thornton 1-1)

6-27–Sluggers 2, Bat Cats 1 (L Kim 1-2)

6-28–Sluggers 8, Bat Cats 0 (L Kuntzendorf 3-1)

6-30–Sluggers 8, Bat Cats 6 (L Parker 0-1); Sluggers 4, Bat Cats 2 (L Jarrett Seaton 0-1)

7-2–Bat Cats 9, Diamond Dawgs 6 (W Blackburn 1-1)

7-3–Diamond Dawgs 8 Bat Cats 4 (L Evans Hendricks 0-1)

7-5–Bat Cats 6, Monarchs 5 (W Parker 1-1)

7-6–Bat Cats 11, Diamond Dawgs 4 (W Kim 2-2)

7-7–Bat Cats 4, Diamond Dawgs 3 (W Thornton 2-1); Bat Cats 12, Diamond Dawgs 3 (W Kuntzendorf 4-1)

7-10–Twins 5, Bats Cats 1 (L Parker 1-2)

7-11–Bat Cats 6, Twins 2 (W Nedved 4-0)

7-13–Bat Cats 7, Twins 0 (W Seaton 1-1)

7-16–Bat Cats 12, Midwest Moos 2 (W Blackburn 2-1)

7-17–Twins 6, Bat Cats 1 (L Kim 2-3); Bat Cats 8, Twins 2 (W Kuntzendorf 5-1).

7-20–Bat Cats 11, Rebels 4 (W Thomas 3-0)

7-21–Bat Cats 7, Sluggers 4 (W Blackburn 3-1)

7-22–Bat Cats 6, Dodge City 4 (W Nedved 5-0)

7-23–Bat Cats 11, Aviators 4 (W Seaton 2-1)

7-24–Bat Cats 8, Aviators 3 (W Kim 3-3)

7-27–Aviators 12, Bat Cats 3 (L Blackburn 3-2)

7-29–Bat Cats vs. Aviators at Hutchinson, 1