By JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The Great Bend Bat Cats never know who’s going to be the designated “beer hitter.”
If the designated hitter delivers a base hit, fans receive cheap beer the rest of that inning.
Barton Community College’s Corrigan Bartlett thrived on that special incentive with two hits and four RBIs to spark the “Beer Cats” past the Hays Larks 9-4 in Wednesday’s opening Jayhawk League baseball game at Al Burns Field.
“It’s a fun time — fun for everybody,” Bartlett said. “It’s perfect when you’re hitting with guys on base. I’m being disciplined at the plate, looking for a fastball to drive. Everyone loves it when you come through. It’s good for the team, good for the fans.”
Bartlett’s two-run single provided a 7-0 lead after two innings. His two-RBI double drove home Brady Michel and Mateo Zunica for a 9-0 lead after three innings.
“I’m swinging it fairly well. It’s great to see everyone hitting tonight,” he said.
Leadoff hitter Mateo Zunica reached base four times and scored twice and No. 2 hitter Peyton Barnes scored twice. Hays starter Jake Norton walked four hitters and hit three batters.
Brennan Fontenot delivered two RBIs and Dawson Pomeroy drove in two runs with a groundout and perfect sacrifice bunt that scored Bartlett.
Fontenot forced home Zunica with a first-inning walk and Pomeroy’s groundout scored Bartlett for a 2-0 lead. Bartlett followed Barnes’ RBI single with a two-run single. Fontenot’s RBI single and Pomeroy’s bunt made it 7-0. Bartlett capped his night with a two-out third-inning single.
Starter Alex Knight worked five shutout innings before yielding a three-run homer to Trevor Boone. Second baseman Barnes played Gold Glove defense with three assists and three putouts.
The victory evened the Bat Cats’ record at 14-14. The Bat Cats are 3-12 against the top four teams in the Jayhawk League.
BAT CATS 9, LARKS 4
HL 000 004 0 — 4 5 1
GB 252 000 x — 9 6 0
Norton, Sugg (2) and Jones. Knight and Bonar. W—Knight. L—Norton. 2B—GB—Bartlett; HL—Selsor, Ochioa, Harp. HR—HL—Boone.
HAYS 7, BAT CATS 3 (game 2) – The Larks roughed up Bat Cat relievers Alejandro Trejo and Austin Pritchard for four runs and six hits after hard-luck starter Jack Waggoner threw four shutout innings.
Larks reliever Chad Smith struck out seven batters in three innings of relief. Smith struck out Peyton Barnes, Corrigan Bartlett and Hunter Romero in the sixth inning to preserve a 5-3 lead. Brandon Bachar scored on an error by catcher Michael Gangwish.
Brennan Fontenot’s fourth-inning double drove home Corrigan Bartlett and Jordan Wilkerson for a 2-0 Bat Cats lead.
Hays chased Waggoner on fifth-inning singles by Jace Selsor, Keone Givens and Clayton Harp to load the bases. Trejo was roughed up for three hits. Clayton Rasbeary’s double scored Selsor and Givens. Colin Simpson’s sacrifice fly scored Harp for a 3-2 lead. Michael Gangwish’s single scored Rasbeary and Max Remy’s single off Pritchard scored Gangwish for a 5-2 lead.
Simpson delivered a two-run single off Pritchard scored Givens and Harp for a 7-3 lead.
LARKS 7, BAT CATS 3
HL 000 052 0 – 7 11 1
GB 000 210 0 – 3 6 0
Schneider, Smith (5) and Gangwish. Waggoner, Trejo (5), Pritchard (5) and Fontenot. W—Schneider, 1-0. L—Waggoner. 2B—GB—Fontenot; HL—Rasbeary.
JAYHAWK LEAGUE BASEBALL
Liberal BeeJays 21-8
Hays Larks 19-8
Dodge City As 19-8
Derby Twins 19-9
GB Bat Cats 14-15
El Dorado Broncos 12-17
Haysville Aviators 6-23
Oklahoma City 3-25
FRIDAY-SATURDAY-SUNDAY
Liberal at Great Bend
Dodge City at El Dorado
Hays at Haysville
Derby at Oklahoma City
THURSDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend at Hays
Liberal at Dodge City
Haysville at Derby
Oklahoma City at El Dorado
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 9, Hays 4
Hays 7, Great Bend 3
Dodge City 4-10, Liberal 1-4
Derby 9, Haysville 5
El Dorado 9, Oklahoma City 8
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Hays 5, Great Bend 2
Liberal 4, Dodge City 2
Derby 10, Haysville 2
El Dorado 4, Oklahoma City 3
SUNDAY JULY 2
Great Bend 14-5, Haysville 0-0
Liberal 11, El Dorado 1
Derby 10, Hays 2
Dodge City 14, Oklahoma City 7
SATURDAY, JULY 1
Great Bend 8-5, Haysville 2-4
El Dorado 6, Liberal 3
Derby 4, Hays 2
Hays 7, Derby 6
Dodge City 10, Oklahoma City 5
FRIDAY, JUNE 30
Liberal 13, El Dorado 5
Hays 11, Derby 2
Dodge City 14, Oklahoma City 12
