Great Bend makes Summerball semifinals
BY JIM MISUNAS
GODDARD – The Tyrus Riley and Nolan Riley Show gave the Great Bend Bat Cats a chance to make the Summerball Showdown semifinals.
The cousins, whose fathers grew up in Nickerson, combined to spark a 7-2 lead for the Bat Cats. Great Bend scored four insurance runs for a wild 11-5 victory over No. 1 seed Omaha (Neb.) Corn Belt in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Great Bend (33-12) meets the Wellington Heat in Sunday’s 2 p.m. semifinal.
Tyrus Riley (3-1) threw five effective innings with five strikeouts. He singled home a run when the Bat Cats were unable to bat for their pitcher. Nolan Riley was reliable as usual with two hits and two RBIs.
Alex Rodgers’ catchable fly ball that was misplayed by leftfielder Spencer Crane. scored Colter Maldanado, Connor Allen and Grant Nottlemann for a safe 11-5 lead in the ninth inning. Connor Allen’s single scored Carsen Pracht for an 8-5 lead.
Australian reliever Brett Allen preserved the victory with two solid innings of relief.
So far, through four Summerball games, Nolan Riley (9 for 18) and Maldnado (8 for 16) are batting .500 at the Summerball Showdown. Rodgers (8 for 18), Connor Scott (7 for 18) and Carsen Pracht (7 for 19) all have enjoyed productive tournaments after an 18-day layoff.
Pracht scored the first run on Nottlemann’s sacrifice fly. Nolan Riley singled home Scott in the second inning. Maldanado scored on a Tyrus Riley third-inning single. Rodgers scored on Nolan Riley’s fifth-inning sacrifice fly.
Corn Belt stayed within range on Mitch Pomeroy’s first-inning RBI triple and Eli McDonald’s third-inning RBI groundout.
Scott, Pracht and Maldanado drove home runs in the seventh inning for a 7-2 lead. Corn Belt rallied against reliever Logan Redeker. Ty Beasley ripped a 2-run single and Brenden Andersen hit a sacrifice fly for a 7-5 score.
GB Bat Cats 011 110 304 – 11 13 0
Corn Belt 101 000 300 – 5 9 1
Tyrus Riley, Redeker (6), Brett Allen (8) and Nottlemann. W—Tyrus Riley. L—Fleeman. Sv—Brett Allen. Fleeman, Bock (6), Wing (6), Palmer and Carlson. 2B—GB—Scott. 3B—CB—Pomeroy.
SUMMERBALL SHOWDOWN
SUNDAY
Championship game–(5) Wellington Heat vs. (7) Wichita Dirtbags
(5) Wellington Heat 9, (8) Great Bend Bat Cats 7
(7) Wichita Dirtbags 7, El Dorado 6
SATURDAY'S QUARTERFINALS
(8) Great Bend Bat Cats 11, (1) Corn Belt, Neb. 5
(5) Wellington 10, (4) Park City Rangers 8
(7) Wichita Dirtbags 3, (2) Kansas Cannons 1
(3) El Dorado 7, (11) Newton Rebels 0
FRIDAY'S BRACKET
(16) Wichita Black Sox 13, (17) ICT Avengers 0; (1) Corn Belt, Neb. 14, (16) Wichita Black Sox 4; (8) Great Bend Bat Cats 4, Kansas Curve 3
(13) Cluckers 6, (20) McPherson 5; (4) Park City 10, (13) Cluckers 0; (5) Wellington 11, (12) Midwest Moos 0
(18) Valley Center 9, (15) Chicago Pumas 7; (2) Kansas Cannons 9, (18) Valley Center 8; (7) Dirtbags 10, (10) Oklahoma City 5
(19) Wichita (316) 12, (14) U.S. Military 3; (3) El Dorado 11, (19) Wichita (316) 4; (11) Newton Rebels 4, (6) Palm Springs 2
