BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
WICHITA – The Great Bend Bat Cats played a big game while the Wichita 316 Sluggers simply talked a big game.
Southpaw pitcher Jarrett Seaton (3-1) struck out 14 batters as the Bat Cats rolled past the Sluggers 9-1 Sunday to qualify for the quarterfinals of the 2021 NBC Baseball World Series. Seaton (3-1) crafted a three-hitter by mixing his pitches flawlessly at West Side Athletic Park. Great Bend's defense was flawless with nine groundball outs and one fly ball out.
Seaton mixed changeups, curveballs and a couple knuckleballs with a sharp-breaking fastball in an eight-inning performance.
''Jarrett gave us a big spark," said Bat Cats coach Roger Ward. "He took care of business and commanded the strike zone. He gave us a couple extra innings. It was a great baseball game. We played clean baseball."
Bat Cats player/batting coach Brady Michel delivered the game's biggest hit with a two-run double for a 4-1 lead. The Bat Cats tacked on five more runs for a 9-1 run/rule victory.
"Brady is a competitor who's excited about the opportunity," Ward said. "We needed his bat. I usually ask him if he's got a couple hits in him that day. That hit gave us some breathing room."
The Bat Cats (29-16) play the Hutchinson Monarchs (34-11) at 9 p.m. Tuesday at Wichita's Riverfront Stadium. The Bat Cats are the only team that lost their first NBC game and won two consecutive games.
"We've showed some fight," Ward said. "We've always competed."
Leadoff batter Alex Rodgers scored a third-inning run when third baseman Trey DeGarmo threw the baseball past catcher Connor Flagg on a double steal. Jordan Maxson singled home Zane Spinn for a 2-0 lead.
Slugger Payton Tolle doubled home A.J. Mendolia for a fourth-inning run for a 2-1 score.
The Bat Cats scored in their final four innings to send the Sluggers packing.
Michel's two-run fifth-inning single scored Nolan Riley and Spinn for a 4-1 lead. Kyle Gates blasted a sixth-inning home run. Michel stayed hot with a seventh-inning single that scored Austin Bonnel after a double.
Nolan Riley followed a Alex Rodgers double with an eighth-inning home run for an 8-1 lead. Bonnel singled home Spinn, who had doubled, for a game-ending ninth run.
Leading the Bat Cats through three NBC games are Riley 7-13 (.538); Gates 5-9 (.555), Maxson 5-10 (.500) and Spinn 5-13 (.384). Rodgers has reached base on eight of nine plate appearances in the past two games.
The Sluggers had a coach and a player tossed out of the game for "talking smack" with the umpires. The Sluggers were unable to overcome a disadvantage when Saturday's late game with Santa Barbara was delayed by lightning until 10 a.m. Sunday. The Sluggers (29-14) swept the Bat Cats 5-0 during the Sunflower Collegiate League season.
Wichita Sluggers 000 100 00 – 1 3 2
GB Bat Cats 002 021 13 – 9 14 0
Peterson, Woods (6), Fenton (7) and Flagg. Seaton and Allen. W–Seaton, 3-1. L–Peterson, 4-2. 2B–GB–Michel, Bonnel, Rodgers, Spinn; WS–Tolle. HR–GB–Riley, Gates.
2021 NBC WORLD SERIES
WICHITA RIVERFRONT STADIUM
THURSDAY–G26–Winners G25, G26, 6 p.m.; G27–Santa Barbara (Calif). 33-7 vs. Austin Lonestar, Texas (22-1), 8:30
WEDNESDAY–G25–Hays Larks (31-7) vs. winner G23; G26–Cheney Diamond Dawgs (30-19) vs. Seattle Studs
TUESDAY–G23–Seattle 10, Derby Twins 3; G24–Great Bend Bat Cats (29-16) vs. Hutchinson Monarchs (34-11)
MONDAY–G21–Santa Barbara 7, Hays Larks 5; G22–Lonestar 7, Cheney 0
HUTCHINSON, HOBART DETTER
SUNDAY–G18–Derby 10, Mid-Crest (Ill.) 4; G17–Seattle Studs 6, Waco (Texas) Sultanes 3; G20–Great Bend Bat Cats 9, Sluggers 1; G19–Hutchinson 10, Liberal Bee Jays 2
SATURDAY–G9–Waco 16, Puerto Rico 11; G10–Mid-Crest 11, San Diego Stars 3; G14–Hays 13, Hutchinson 1; G13–Santa Barbara 9, Sluggers 4
FRIDAY–G11–Liberal 11, Boulder (Colo.) Collegians 3; G12–Great Bend Bat Cats 13, Sluggers 0; G15–Cheney 15, Derby 7; G16–Lonestar 10, Seattle 8
THURSDAY–Wichita Sluggers 11, Puerto Rico 1; G3–Hays 16, Mid-Crest 8; G4–Hutchinson 4, San Diego 3; G1–Santa Barbara 14, Waco 0
WEDNESDAY–G5–Cheney 9, Boulder 4; G6–Derby 5, Liberal 4; G7–Lonestar 7, Great Bend Bat Cats 5; G8–Seattle 14, Wichita 316 Elite 0
