BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
WICHITA — Soon, and very soon, the Great Bend Bat Cats will be the talk of the NBC Baseball World Series.
The inaugural World Series participant rallied past the Dallas Dirtbags 9-5 Sunday after trailing 3-0.
“I’m on Cloud 9,” said Roger Ward, Great Bend Bat Cats coach. “That was awesome for a first-year NBC program. That’s big getting that first win.”
Ward said he’s received non-stop words of congratulations for the Bat Cats’ stunning victory.
“It’s been rewarding, but because of our players and our assistant coaches we’re accomplishing this,” he said.
Dirtbags’ starter Jordan Dailey struck out 10 batters in seven innings. But the Bat Cats kept battling. Benjamin Sems’ seventh-inning single scored Peyton Barnes for the go-ahead run. The Bat Cats (24-19) scored five runs in the final two innings.
Brennan Fontenot, Jordan Wilkerson and Dawson Pomeroy each drove in two runs to spark a 14-hit attack. The Bat Cats delivered six extra-base hits.
“The hitters all made an adjustment,” Ward said. “They went back to work and hit like they are capable.”
Ward delivered game-changing advice to starter Alex Knight, who yielded four consecutive singles to start the game down 2-0. An error contributed an unearned third-inning run.
“I told Alex I could hit him if he kept throwing 81 mph fastballs in the same place,” Ward said. “I suggested he move the ball up-and-down in the zone and mix a changeup in.”
Knight heeded Ward’s advice and benefited from back-to-back double plays turned by shortstop Ben Sems and second baseman Peyton Barnes. McPherson’s Alex Ruxlow earned the victory with three innings of relief work.
Red-hot Fontenot from Spring Hill College (La.) sparked the offense with a pair of triples and three runs scored. His RBI single scored Corrigan Bartlett and Brett Bonar singled home Fontenot in a two-run fourth inning.
Fontenot’s game-tying run came after Ward successfully challenged the home plate umpire’s ruling that Fontenot was out after two strikes.
“That’s one rule that has not changed,” Ward said.
Jordan Wilkerson and Dawson Pomeroy drove in eighth-inning runs and Pomeroy scored on a wild pitch. Fontenot’s sacrifice fly and Pomeroy’s single closed the Bat Cats’ scoring in the ninth inning.
Barton Community College pitcher Jarrett Seaton will start Tuesday’s 7 p.m. feature game against the Hattiesburg, Miss. Black Sox. The live is streamed live on youtube.com (search NBC World Series). Radio coverage is provided by greatbendpost.com. Local Wichita television coverage will likely highlight the Bat Cats’ game.
The Bat Cats will play their third pool game Thursday. If they win their pool, the Bat Cats will play Friday at 7 p.m. opr 9:30 p.m. If the Bat Cats win their pool, they will play Sunday at 1:30 or 4 p.m.
The Bat Cats were treated like Rodney Dangerfield starting the NBC World Series. The Bat Cats were not listed as an NBC-eligible team. The Dodge City A’s were listed on the bracket instead of the Bat Cats.
“They had to change Dodge City to Great Bend, which was sweet,” Ward said.
BAT CATS 9, DIRTBAGS 5
BAT CATS ab r h rbi
Peyton Barnes 5 1 3 0
Ben Sems 5 0 1 1
Corrigan Bartlett 5 1 1 0
Hunter Romero 5 1 1 0
Brennan Fontenot 4 3 3 2
Jordan Wilkerson 4 1 1 2
Brooks Asher 4 1 1 0
Dawson Pomeroy 5 1 3 2
Mateo Zunica 4 0 0 0
Totals 30 9 14 7
GB 000 201 132 – 9 14 1
DD 000 000 000 – 5 10 3
Knight, Ruxlow (5), Repp and Bonar. Dailey, Gall (8), Eggleston (8), Gillett (9) and Donovan. W—Ruxlow. L—Dailey. 2B—GB—Pomeroy 2, Bartlett, Barnes, Peterson. 3B—GB—Fontenot 2, Romero. SB—Barnes 2, Sems, Pomeroy. DP—GB 2. LOB—BS 7, GB 7. E—Roberts, Gonzalez 2. SF—Wilkerson, Fontenot. HP—Bonar, Gonzalez, Swyers. WP—Ruxlow.
NBC WORLD SERIES
WICHITA, LAWRENCE DUMONT
x-clinched pool; 3-way tie (least runs)
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 1-0; West Chase, Texas Express 1-0; Jasper, Ind. Reds 1-1; Fresno, Calif. A’s 0-2
POOL C—Mulvane Patriots 2-0 (10); Wichita 316 Elite 1-1 (15); Round Rock Express 1-1 (17); Fort Collins Bandits 0-2
POOL D—Great Bend Bat Cats 1-0 (5), Hattiesburg, Miss. Black Sox 1-0 (4); Inland Empire Calif. Golden Bears 1-1 (11); Dallas Dirtbags 0-2
SATURDAY’S GAMES
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
SUNDAY’S GAMES
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
MONDAY’S GAMES
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
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Jasper Reds 8, Fresno A’s 5
Inland Empire 11, Dallas Dirtbags 7
Great Bend Bat Cats (1-0) vs. Hattiesburg, Miss. (1-0)
9:30 p.m.—Cheney (1-0) vs. Westchase Express (1-0)
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
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)
THURSDAY—1:30 p.m. 4. 7. 9:30 p.m.
FRIDAY'S SEMIFINALS—7. 9:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK
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
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
