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Bat Cats finish off Aviators
kyle gates run

Bat Cats finish off Aviators

BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

HAYSVILLE – The Great Bend Bat Cats were happy Haysville pitcher Arturo Ramirez didn’t throw until the ninth inning. Ramirez struck out all three batters after baffling the Bat Cats in Monday’s series opener.

Fortunately, Bat Cats reliever Matthew Howell locked down a hard-fought 7-5 Sunflower Collegiate League victory to win three of four games. The Bat Cats (18-3, 14-2 Sunflower) maintain first place heading to a 4-game series against the Hutchinson Monarchs (10-3) that starts Saturday.

Riley Silva sparked the Bat Cats with back-to-back triples and three runs scored. Simon Larranaga drove home Silva twice with a first-inning sacrifice fly and a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

Haysville’s Clay Artho doubled home Max Valdez for a 1-1 tie after two innings.

Two errors and a hit batter helped the Bat Cats score a 3-run third inning. Silva’s triple scored JoJo Nieves. Silva scored on a Kyle Gates single. Gates scored on an error for a 4-1 lead.

Si Schumacher scored on a Kyle Gates fourth-inning sacrifice fly after three consecutive walks for a 5-1 lead. Adam Mustow doubled and scored on Brady Kreutzer’s double for a 6-1 lead. Silva scored a valuable sixth-inning insurance run on Larranaga’s second sacrifice fly.

Haysville scored single runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to chip away. Tom Davis delivered a fifth-inning RBI double off pitcher Tyrus Riley (2-0). Matt Buffington’s single scored Max Valdez in the sixth inning. Alex Jarboe’s single scored Chance Pollard in the seventh. Buffington scored on a eighth-inning wild pitch for a 7-5 score.

GB Bat Cats 103 111 000 – 7 7 1

Haysville 010 011 110 – 5 8 2

Riley, Stuart (6), Howell (8) and Schumacher. Cavavos, Jensen (4), Ramirez (9) and Buffington. W—Riley, 2-0. L—Cavazos, 1-2. 2B—H—Artho, Davis.

3B—GB—Silva 2.

SUNFLOWER COLLEGIATE

Great Bend 14-2 18-3

Cheney 11-3 12-3

Hutchinson 11-3 11-3

Newton 8-5 10-5

Derby 7-7 10-7

Wichita Lobos 6-8 6-8

Haysville 4-8 7-9

Kingman 4-9 4-9

Mulvane 1-11 1-11

316 Elite 0-10 2-12

6-23—Great Bend 7, Haysville 5; Kingman 13, Mulvane 3; Hutchinson 8-2, Derby 2-1

6-22—Great Bend 6, Haysville 3; Newton at Lobos (2); Kingman at Mulvane

6-21—Great Bend 8, Haysville 1,  Cheney 11-17, 316 Elite 0-0