BY JIM
MISUNAS
DERBY – The bad news is the Great Bend Bat Cats lost 7-5 to the Derby Twins in a Sunflower Collegiate League season finale. The good news is the Hutchinson Monarchs lost 8-6 to the Mulvane Patriots.
The Bat Cats (21-13) win the tiebreaker for the runner-up spot in the Sunflower West over the Monarchs (21-13) by winning three of four games against Hutchinson. The Bat Cats will play the third-place East finisher Monday at Wichita State. Hutchinson will play the Derby Twins.
Bat Cat Ryan Monson homered twice and Dawson Pomeroy homered, but the Bat Cats failed to take advantage of 12 hits.
Monson homered in the first inning. Derby’s Brett Gonzales scored in the second inning and Albrecht doubled home Ryan McNally. Derby’s Justin Bandy singled home Jackson Hardy to start a three-run third inning. Mitchell Austin tripled home Bundy and Colton Whitehouse singled home Austin for a 5-1 lead.
The Bat Cats tied it 5-5. Chandler Bloomer scored on a fourth-inning error. Monson and Pomeroy homered and Braden Carpenter singled home Brady Michel for a 5-5 tie after five innings.
Derby’s Jaret Koin scored on Austin’s sacrifice fly and Bundy scored off reliever Andrew Fyffe on a seventh-inning error for a 7-5 victory.
GB Bat Cats 100 130 000 –- 5 12 2
Derby Twins 023 000 20x 0 — 7 9 1
Ensz, Fyffe (6), Poe (8) and Carpenter. L—Fyffe. 2B—GB—Riley; D—McNally. 3B—D—Austin. HR—GB—Monson 2, Pomeroy.
