Tuesday’s Great Bend Bat Cats’ 6-1 Sunflower Collegiate League baseball victory over El Dorado exhibited a definite Barton Community College flavor at Al Burns Field.

Barton County pitchers Tanner Howe and reliever Easton Young combined for nine strikeouts. Howe’s solid six-inning outing was reminiscent of his 5A state championship performance in 2015 at Blue Valley Southwest. Young struck out six batters in three innings. 

The Bat Cats used a six-run sixth inning to power past the Broncos to start a six-game homestand at Al Burns Field.  

The Broncos led 1-0 after Cooper Elliot tripled and scored on Brant Kym’s sixth-inning groundout off Howe, who will pitch at Nebraska-Omaha next season.

El Dorado reliever Kyle Collins hit Brady Michel with a pitch and walked Zach Poe and Tyce Brown to start the sixth inning without recording an out. 

El Dorado reliever Preston Minor plunked Chase Gibson for a 1-1 tie. Colin Meinert singled home Poe for a 2-1 lead. Red-hot Luke Repka delivered a two-run single to score Brown and Gibson and Meinert scored on a mishandled relay throw.  Repka scored on Dawson Pomeroy’s sacrifice fly for a 6-1 lead.

The Bat Cats (4-2, 2-0 Sunflower) remain home Thursday against the Salina Shock before entertaining the Andale Warhawks and Mulvane Patriots.

El Dorado Broncos 000 001 000 — 1 3 0 

GB Bat Cats 000 006 00x — 6 7 1

Polk, Collins (6), Minor (6), Gooch (8) and Rodden. Howe, Young (7) and Gibson. W—Howe. L—Collins. 2B–GB—Repka, Meinert, Brown. 3B—EL—Elliot. 

GREAT BEND BAT CATS (4-2)

W—Salina Shock 9-1

L—Hutchinson Monarchs 5-11

W—Salina Shock 7-6

W—Derby Twins 15-9

W—El Dorado Broncos 6-1 

L—El Dorado Broncos, 6-7

6-6—Salina Shock, 7

6-8—Andale Warhawks, 6

6-9—Andale Warhawks, 7

6-11—Mulvane Patriots, 7

6-12—at Mulvane Patriots, 7

6-13—at Wichita Sluggers DH, 5:30

6-15—at Cheney Diamond Dawgs, 6

6-16—Cheney Diamond Dawgs, 3

6-18—Newton Rebels at Wichita Eck Stadium, 5:30

6-19—at Newton Rebels, 7

6-20—Hutchinson Monarchs, 7

6-21—at Hutchinson Monarchs, 7

6-23—at Salina Shock, 7 

6-26—Derby Twins, 7

6-27—at Andale Warhawks, 6

6-28—at Andale Warhawks, 7

6-29—Haysville Aviators, 7

6-30—Haysville Aviators, 3

7-2—Sunflower All-Star Game, Wichita, Eck Stadium

7-4—at El Dorado Broncos, 7

7-6—at Mulvane Patriots, 7

7-7—Newton Rebels, 3

7-9—Haysville Aviators at Wichita Eck Stadium, 5:30 

7-10—Salina Shock, 7 

7-11—Wichita Sluggers DH, 5:30

7-13—Cheney Diamond Dawgs, 6

7-14—at Cheney Diamond Dawgs, 5

7-16—Hutchinson Monarchs, 7

7-17—at Hutchinson Monarchs, 7

7-18—at Derby Twins, 7