BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The Great Bend Bat Cats’ weekend run against perennial Jayhawk League powerhouse Liberal was simply magical.
Head Bat Cat magician Roger Ward watched quality back-to-back starts followed by a dramatic game-ending strikeout by reliever Dawson Pomeroy.
When Liberal’s dust settled, the Bat Cats worked their brooms to sweep the Bee Jays — 7-2, 8-3 and 10-8 at Al Burns Field. Liberal is a four-time NBC national champion.
“Liberal was the top Jayhawk team coming in, so it was a fantastic weekend,” said Bat Cats coach Roger Ward. “I’m obviously pleased by the way we played baseball. We made quality pitches and made fewer mistakes at the plate and in the field. We are getting better quality starts and our batting lineup is solid.”
BAT CATS 10, BEE JAYS 8 — Brandon Bachar delivered the final decisive blow with a two-run triple on an eight-pitch at-bat for an 10-8 lead. Jordan Wilkerson started the three-run eighth inning with a single that scored the Bat Cats’ designated Beer Man Corrigan Bartlett.
“Brandon fouled a few pitches and never got away from his swing,” Ward said. “When Brandon slid into third, he was speechless because he knew he’d accomplished something special.”
Pomeroy struck out Zac Cook with the bases loaded to end the game. Pomeroy was on the verge of blowing a second save against Liberal after yielding a game-ending homer to Jaron Robinson June 16.
“Our toughness showed,” Ward said. “Our guys are showing toughness on the mound and minimizing damage. He went out and got the job done when he wasn’t sharp. We’ve missed opportunities and let a few games get away this summer.”
Pomeroy’s 34-pitch save featured an effective fastball that preserved the victory.
“For a first-year program to sweep Liberal says a lot,” Ward said. “We have tough guys who compete every at-bat and every game. That’s the type of team I want to coach. I always believed in this team, but they’ve got to prove it.”
Hunter Romero singled home Ben Esma and Brennen Fontenot’s double scored Romero for a 2-0 lead. Mateo Zunica scored on Sems’ single for a 3-0 lead. Brett Bonar and Zunica forced home runs on walks and Bachar’s single drove in Fontenot for a 6-3 lead. Bonar’s RBI double drove home Fontenot for a 7-3 lead.
BAT CATS 7, BEE JAYS 2 — The Great Bend Bat Cats completed a historic 7-2 baseball victory over the Liberal Bee Jays Friday at Al Burns Field. Rightfielder Jordan Wilkerson homered and completed a fourth-inning double play on a fly ball.
Mateo Zunica’s double scored Brett Bonar to start a two-run third inning. Zunica stole home on a double steal with Ben Sems for a 2-0 lead. Wilkerson’s fourth-inning homer scored Brennan Fon-tenot and Bonar scored on a wild pitch for a stunning 5-0 lead.
Liberal’s Jaron Robinson scored an unearned sixth-inning run on Trent Maloney’s single after reaching base on a sixth-inning strikeout.
Fontenot scored on a passed ball and Wilkerson scored on Brandon Bachar’s sacrifice fly for a 7-1 lead after six innings.
Liberal’s Jaron Robinson scored an eighth-inning run on an error for a 7-2 final.
Bat Cats starter Gyeongju Kim limited the BeeJays to two runs in seven innings with six strikeouts. South Korean native Kim retired three batters after Colton Onstott and Kyle Schmidt singled to start the second inning. Rightfielder Wilkerson threw out Robinson for a double play on Trent Maloney’s fly ball to end the fourth inning.
BAT CATS 8, BEE JAYS 3 — Bat Cat pitcher Jarrett Seaton (4-1) struck out Gage Teer to end Saturday’s game. The Bat Cats scored seven unearned runs off six Bee Jay errors. Three runs scored on Corrigan Bartlett misplayed groundballs and Bartlett stole home. Hunter Romero’s double scored Bartlett for a 5-0 lead after two innings.
Peyton Barnes matched a homer by Kyle Schmidt with a fourth-inning homer. Second baseman Barnes and first baseman Romero turned double plays in the fifth and sixth innings. Ben Sems’ double scored Barnes and Mateo Zunica scored on a Bee Jay error.
BAT CATS 10, BEE JAYS 8
LB 003 023 000 — 8 12 1
GB 213 100 03x — 10 14 3
Garland, Carner (3), Zeiler (5), Craft (8) and Schmidt. Ruxlow, Waggonner (6), Pomeroy (9) and Asher. Kim, Pritchard (8) and Fontenot. W—Waggoner. L—Zeiler. 2B—GB—Fontenot, Bonar, Zunica; LB—Schmidt, Shoemaker. 3B—GB—Bachar. HR—LB—Rhodes.
BAT CATS 8, BEE JAYS 3
LB 001 020 000 — 3 8 6
GB 320 100 02x — 8 12 0
Beattie, Tognatine (6), Craft (8) and Schmidt. Seaton and Asher. W—Seaton, 4-1. L—Beattie. 2B—GB—Sems. HR—GB—Barnes; L—Schmidt.
BAT CATS 7, BEE JAYS 2
LB 000 001 010 — 2 7 0
GB 002 302 00x — 7 6 3
Cook, Young (6), Garland (7) and Schmidt. Kim, Pritchard (8) and Fontenot. W—Kim. L—Cook. 2B—GB—Fontenot; L—Schmidt. HR—GB—Wilkerson.
JAYHAWK LEAGUE BASEBALL
Derby Twins 24-9
Hays Larks 22-9
Liberal BeeJays 22-11
Dodge City As 20-11
GB Bat Cats 17-16
El Dorado Broncos 15-18
Haysville Aviators 7-26
Oklahoma City 3-30
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY
Liberal at Derby
Great Bend at El Dorado
Dodge City at Hays
Haysville at Oklahoma City
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 10, Liberal 8
El Dorado 8, Dodge City 7
Hays 25, Haysville 4
Derby 13, Oklahoma City 6
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 8, Liberal 3
El Dorado 12, Dodge City 5
Hays 19, Haysville 3
Derby 8-2, Oklahoma City 2-1
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 7, Liberal 2
Dodge City 9, El Dorado 5
Haysville 5, Hays 2
Derby 10, Oklahoma City 9
