BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
WICHITA – By the time the Great Bend Bat Cats started, it was win-or-go-home at the 83rd NBC World Series.
Bat Cats pitcher Jarrett Seaton performed at an all-star level in a hard-fought 7-2 victory over the Hattiesburg (Miss.) Black Sox. Seaton threw 114 pitches and struck out four batters.
“Early on, I didn’t have much going,” said Seaton, who pitched for Barton County. “But I got my changeup going and that’s my out pitch. My fastball was up, but I drew a line and got it straightened out.”
Hot-hitting Jordan Wilkerson sparked the Bat Cats with three hits, a home run and two RBIs. He was rewarded by a Salvador Perez splash by teammate Alex Knight.
“When Jordan Wilkerson hit that bomb, it changed everything,” said Great Bend coach Roger Ward, who handled a foul ball flawlessly. “We found a way to get good at-bats and extend the starter’s pitch count.”
The Bat Cats led 4-2 when Black Sox second baseman Josh Parks misplayed a sky high eighth-inning pop fly by Benjamin Sems that was somehow scored a base hit. Wilkerson, Dawson Pomeroy and Mateo Zunica scored on the pop fly that traveled 120 feet.
The Bat Cats (25-19) will play Inland Empire, Calif. in Thursday’s 7 p.m. feature game. The Bat Cats (plus 9) hold a six-run differential on Inland Empire (plus 3) in case of a three-way pool tie.
“They are embracing playing in the NBC World Series,” Ward said. “Loose teams win and they are playing loose.”
The Black Sox scored first when Terrell Hodges scored on a second-inning throwing error on Caleb Danzy’s double.
Wilkerson, the Bat Cats’ leading home-run leader, drilled a second-inning home run to left field.
“That felt pretty good in big park like this,” said Wilkerson. “It was a high curveball.”
The Bat Cats scored twice in the third inning. Hunter Romero singled home Ben Sems after a leadoff triple. Wilkerson’s single scored Brennan Fontenot for a 3-1 lead off starter Wes Wilkinson.
Romero’s baserunning cost the Bat Cats a bigger third inning. Romero froze at first base instead of running on Fontenot’s double to the Konica Minolta 385-sign in right field. Romero attempted to rumble home on an overthrow, but was easily thrown out at home.
Dawson Pomeroy scored the Bat Cats’ fourth run on a throwing error for a 4-1 lead. Pomeroy singled and raced home on a throwing error by third baseman Jayln Williams.
The Black Sox sliced the lead to 4-2 when Kray Garner’s sixth-inning triple scored Jayln Williams after a topped base hit down the third-base line.
BAT CATS 7, BLACK SOX 2
BLACK SOX ab r h rbi
Trey Jones 4 0 1 0
Marcus Regan 5 0 2 0
Beau Wallace 5 0 1 0
Eric Wilkes 5 0 1 0
Terrell Hodges 4 1 1 0
Caleb Danzy 4 0 1 0
Jayln Williams 3 1 2 0
Kray Garner 3 0 1 1
Josh Perks 4 0 0 0
Totals 37 2 10 2
BAT CATS ab r h rbi
Peyton Barnes 4 0 1 0
Ben Sems 4 1 2 3
Corrigan Bartlett 5 0 0 0
Hunter Romero 4 0 1 1
Brennan Fontenot 4 1 2 0
Jordan Wilkerson 4 2 3 2
Brooks Asher 3 0 0 0
Dawson Pomeroy 3 2 2 0
Mateo Zunica 2 1 0 0
Totals 34 7 11 6
BS 010 001 000 – 2 10 2
GB 012 100 03x – 7 11 2
Wilkinson, Malone (4), Danzy (8) and Garner. Seaton, Knoten (7) and Asher. W—Seaton, 5-1. L—Wilkinson. 2B—Fontenot 2; Danzy. 3B—Sems; BS--Garner. HR—Wilkerson (10). SB—Regan, Sems, Asher, Wilkerson. HP—Barnes. DP—BS 1, GB 1. LOB—BS 10, GB 8. E—Sems, Wilkerson, Williams 2. WP—Seaton 2, Knoten.
NBC WORLD SERIES
WICHITA, LAWRENCE DUMONT
x-clinched pool; 3-way tie (run differential)
POOL A—x—Austin Texas Shockers 2-0; Northwest, Ariz. Boom 1-1; Sterling, Colo. Xpress 1-1; Valley Center Mud Daubers 0-2
POOL B—Cheney Diamond Dawgs 2-0 (13); West Chase, Texas Express 1-1 (5); Jasper, Ind. Reds 1-1 (-5); Fresno, Calif. A’s 0-2
POOL C—Mulvane Patriots 2-0 (6); Wichita 316 Elite 1-1 (2); Round Rock Express 1-1 (-5); Fort Collins Bandits 0-2
POOL D—Great Bend Bat Cats 2-0 (9), Inland Empire Calif. Golden Bears 1-1 (3); Hattiesburg, Miss. Black Sox 1-1 (-4); Dallas Dirtbags 0-2
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK
SUNDAY, JULY 30
11 a.m.—San Antonio, Texas Angels vs. Hays Larks
1:30 p.m.— San Diego, Calif. Waves vs. first week qualifier
4 p.m.—Seattle, Wash. Studs vs. first week qualifier
7 p.m.—Wellington Heat vs. USA national team
SATURDAY, JULY 29
1:30 p.m.—Colorado Sox vs. San Diego Force
4 p.m.—Everett, Wash. Merchants vs. Liberal Bee Jays
7 p.m.—Colorado Cyclones vs. Kansas Stars
9:30 p.m.—Santa Barbara, Calif. Foresters vs. Derby Twins
FRIDAY SEMIFINALS—7. 9:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, JULY 26
1:30 p.m.—Westchase Express (1-1) vs. Fresno (0-2)
4 p.m.—Hattiesburg (1-1) vs, Dallas Dirtbags (0-2)
7 p.m.—Great Bend Bat Cats (2-0) vs. Inland Empire (1-1)
9:30 p.m.—Cheney (2-0) vs. Jasper, Ind. (1-1)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26
1:30 p.m.—Sterling, Colo. (1-1) vs. Northwest Boom (1-1)
4 p.m.—Austin Shockers (2-0) vs. Valley Center (0-2)
7 p.m.—Mulvane Patriots (2-0) vs. Round Rock (1-1)
9:30 p.m.—Wichita 316 Elite (1-1) vs. Fort Collins (0-2)
TUESDAY, JULY 25
Jasper Reds 8, Fresno A’s 5
Inland Empire 11, Dallas Dirtbags 7
Great Bend Bat Cats 7, Hattiesburg, Miss. 2
Cheney 12, Westchase Express 9
MONDAY, JULY 24
Round Rock 7, Fort Collins 5
Sterling, Colo. 11, Valley Cener 4
Mulvane Patriots 10, Wichita 316 Elite 5
Austin Shockers 14, Northwest Boom 9
SUNDAY, JULY 23
Westchase, Texas 8, Jasper, Ind. 0
Great Bend Bat Cats 9, Dallas Dirtbags 5
Cheney 10, Fresno, Calif. A’s 0
Hattiesburg, Miss. 5, Inland Empire, Calif. 4
SATURDAY, JULY 22
Austin, Texas Shockers 9, Sterling, Colo. Xpress 3
Wichita 316 Elite 12, Round Rock, Texas Express 5
Mulvane Patriots 6, Fort Collins, Colo. Bandits 5
Northwest, Ariz. Boom 5, Valley Center Mud Daubers 3
