BAT CAT FEVER
BY JIM MISUNAS
The Great Bend Bat Cats welcomed the Mulvane Patriots to Home Run Derby. The baseball was flying on a 97-degree day with the heat index hitting 110.
The new and improved Al Burns Memorial Field was the perfect backdrop for the red-hot Bat Cats, who dominated the Patriots 15-2 and 7-1 in Saturday’s Sunflower Collegiate League baseball doubleheader. The Bat Cats (8-1, 4-0) visits Mulvane (0-6) Sunday for another doubleheader.
BAT CATS 15, MULVANE 2 (G1) – Simon Larranaga sparked a 4-home run barrage with a pair of roundtrippers. Leadoff batter Alex Rodgers showed pop with a 2-run homer and five RBIs. Sweet-swinging Kyle Gates ignited the 14-hit attack with a first-inning homer.
Bat Cat Adam Mustow delivered the game’s signature play when he slowed standing up into third base, but avoided an easy tag by Cole Collins. Rodgers made the Patriots pay with a 2-run single followed by RBI singles by Hunter Gotreaux and Gates. Larranaga delivered his second consecutive home run for a 6-2 lead.
Great Bend capped the rout with an 8-run fourth inning. Rodgers drilled a 2-run homer and RBI double. Matthew Howell hit a 2-run single and RBI double. Colby Christian, Larranaga added RBI singles off Mulvane pitcher Austyn Benoit.
Bat Cats pitcher Ian Lanik (2-0) was spectacular after a sketchy first inning with 12 strikeouts. Austyn Benoit hit an RBI single and Cooper Reaves drew a first-inning bases-loaded walk. Lanik mixed a solid fastball and breaking pitch and struck out eight consecutive batters stretching from the third inning into the fifth inning.
BAT CATS 7, MULVANE 1 (G2) – Bat Cats crafty lefthander J.C. Gonzalez (1-1) baffled the Patriots with his assortment of deliveries and off-speed pitches. Gonzalez struck out nine batters and retired 13 consecutive batters from the first to the fifth inning. Third baseman Colter Maldanado delivered several solid defensive plays.
The Bat Cats took full advantage of five Mulvane errors.
Riley Silva singled and scored on Bodie Wallar’s first-inning single. Brady Kreutzer singled, stole second base and scored on a wild pitch. Grant Fahrlander singled home JoJo Nieves and Dre Amaral for a 4-0 lead.
Sparkplug Silva tripled and scored on a fourth-inning error. Fahrlander scored on Dawson French’s groundball for a 6-0 lead. Silva scored his third run in the sixth inning with pure hustle after a walk and hustling baserunning.
Mulvane’s Kyle Howerton singled and scored on a sixth-inning error.
Mulvane 200 00 – 2 3 2
GB Bat Cats 151 8x – 15 14 0
Benoit and Reaves. Lanik and Allen. W—Lanik. L—Benoit. 2B—GB—Rodgers, Mustow, Howell. HR—GB— Larranaga 2, Gates, Rodgers.
Mulvane 000 001 0 – 1 2 5
GB Bat Cats 130 201 x – 7 6 2
Helms and Jarmon. Gonzalez and Fahrlander. W—Gonzalez, 1-1. L—Helms. 2B—GB—Kreutzer. 3B—GB—Silva.
Great Bend 5-0 9-1
Hutchinson 5-1 5-1
Derby 4-3 6-3
Newton 4-2 6-2
Cheney 3-3 4-3
Haysville 2-2 2-2
Kingman 2-3 2-4
316 Elite 0-2 0-2
Mulvane 0-5 0-5
Wichita Lobos 1-4 1-4
6-14—316 Elite at Great Bend (2), 6 p.m.; Liberal at Hayvsille; Hutchinson a Cheney
6-13—Kingman at Wichita Lobos (2); Liberal at Haysville; Derby at Newton; Cheney at Hutchinson
6-12—Great Bend 8, Mulvane 0; Newton 9, Derby 5
6-11—Great Bend 18-7, Mulvane 2-1; Derby 2, Newton 1; Cheney 7, Hutchinson 4; Haysville at Valley Center; Wichita Lobos 6, Kingman 5
6-10—Derby 10, Newton 7
6-9—Great Bend 18, Dodge City 1; Newton 7, Mulvane 0
6-8—Hutchinson 10-8, Wichita Lobos 2-1; Derby 4-1, Cheney 2-4; Kingman 4, Haysville 1; Newton 16, Mulvane 3
6-7—Hutchinson 5-2, Wichita Lobos 2-2; Newton 6, Mulvane 2; Kingman 14, Haysville 4; Cheney 9, Derby 5
