EL DORADO – A valiant pitching effort by Great Bend Bat Cat pitcher Nolan Riley was backed up by no run support.
El Dorado swept Great Bend 8-0 Sunday to hand the Bat Cats their first baseball shutout of the summer. The Bat Cats (9-12, 4-11 Jayhawk) return home Tuesday against the Derby Twins to start 10 home games in 11 outings.
Riley yielded no earned runs working into the sixth inning, but two errors handed the Broncos three unearned runs. As usual, the Bat Cats’ bullpen imploded, yielding an inherited runner to score plus six insurance runs.
Riley (0-2) struck out eight batters. El Dorado’s Ethan Payne doubled home Brady Sargent after a third-inning Bat Cat error.
A sixth-inning error by catcher Gavin Johnson helped end Riley’s day. Riley struck out Conner Allen for the potential third out, but Johnson dropped the baseball in front of home plate to allow Allen to reach first base with two out.
Tucker Catlett’s single scored Jaret Koin and reliever Trey Boren walked Austin Toth to force home a run for a 3-0 lead. Brady Sargent drilled a two-run seventh-inning homer and Jordan Anstandig added an RBI single off Boren.
Another Bat Cat error led to an RBI single by Maddux Solomon and an RBI groundout by Jaret Koin for an 8-0 lead.
The punchless Bat Cats featured one scoring threat off El Dorado pitcher Gabe Littlejim. Zack Borohn struck out to strand Chris Swanberg and Blaine Ray in the seventh inning. Swanberg and Blaine Ray delivered the Bat Cats’ base hits.
GB Bat Cats 000 000 000 – 0 2 5
El Dorado 000 102 32x – 8 9 1
Riley, Boren (7), Gutierrez (8) and Gavin Johnson. Gabe Littlejim, Cheney (8), Sargent (9) and Sargent. W—Littlejim. L—Riley, 0-2. 2B—E—Payne 2. HR—E—Sargent.
JAYHAWK LEAGUE
Liberal Beejays 12-6
Hays Larks 9-4
Derby Twins 8-7
El Dorado Broncos 8-7
Dodge City A’s 6-6
Haysville Aviators 4-10
GB Bat Cats 4-11
TUESDAY
Derby at Great Bend
Liberal at Dodge City
WEDNESDAY
Derby at Great Bend
Hays at Dodge City
Haysville at El Dorado
MONDAY
Dodge City 6, Hays 2
El Dorado vs. Haysville, ppd.
SUNDAY
El Dorado 8, Great Bend 0
Liberal 12, Havsville 6
Hays 26, Derby 1
SATURDAY
El Dorado 10, Great Bend 2
Hays 2, Derby 0, 11 innings
Hays 26 Derby 1
Liberal 12, Haysville 4
