BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Great Bend Chiefs lefthanded pitcher Tyler Stuhlsatz was brilliant again.
Stuhlsatz (7-2) recorded 16 outs, but the Hays Eagles earned their way to Wednesday's Zone 4 Legion championship game with a hard-fought 3-1 victory Tuesday over the Great Bend Chiefs. Hays scored runs on an error, a hit batter and a walk.
Hays (18-4) gains a huge advantage for the Zone baseball championship. The top-seeded Eagles draw their second bye Wednesday, thanks to archaic Legion rules which grant the Eagles a full two-game advantage over the Chiefs (16-8), or a one-game edge over the Newton Knights (11-12). The Chiefs and Newton play at 5 p.m. Wednesday.
HAYS 3, CHIEFS 1 (G2) – Stuhlsatz overcame the Chiefs' first two errors, but the Chiefs' third error with two out handed Hays a run when Gage Porter scored a fifth-inning run.
Mathew Moeder delivered a clutch two-out RBI sixth-inning single to score Stefan Spray, who reached on a Hays error. Hays pitcher Garrett Wellbrock retired Stuhlsatz to keep the game tied 1-1.
Hays started the sixth-inning game-winning rally when Carson Spray and Remington Cox singled. Cox scored when Porter was hit by a pitch. Jack Fields scored when Ben Krannawitter drew a bases-loaded walk. Chiefs reliever Edwin Chavez retired Brady Kreutzer and Wellbrock to work out of trouble.
"Kudos to Tyler. He pitched a great game," said Great Bend coach Randy Beck. "He kept a good hitting team under wraps."
The Chiefs' Mathew Moeder singled and Stuhlsatz reached on an error in the second inning. But Hays pitcher Wellbrock retired Brad Beck and Chavez to end the threat. Jade Poe singled and reached second base, but Wellbrock picked him off base.
"Timely hitting means a lot," Beck said. "We had opportunities, but didn't get it done."
CHIEFS 12, NEWTON 11 – The Chiefs stunned the Newton Knights 12-11 on a game-winning double by A.J. Aylward in the Zone 3 American Legion baseball tournament Tuesday. Aylward had four at-bats during the season, but drilled a double that scored a sliding Spray with the game-winning run.
Jade Poe was hit by a pitch and Spray walked to start the seventh inning. Poe scored on Haberman's infield single. Aylward drilled the second pitch by Blaze Bradshaw into left field.
The Chiefs led 8-0 with an eight-run second inning when Newton's hitting came alive. Paco Hernandez hit a two-run single and Spray and Haberman delivered RBI singles in the inning.
Newton's Ryan Ruggerio and Andrew Barron hit RBI singles in the third inning. Griff Davis scored on a wild pitch and Luke Boston and Owen Mick scored on fourth-inning errors. Barron, Davis, Trev Gobluski and Joe Slechta delivered RBIs in Newton's four-run fifth inning for a 9-8 lead. Davis and Mick drilled RBI hits for an 11-8 lead after 51/2 innings.
But the Chiefs rallied. Spray scored on a sacrifice fly by Stuhlsatz and Chavez singled home Haberman for an 11-10 score after six innings.
Newton 002 342 0 – 11 13 1
GB Chiefs 080 002 2 – 12 11 3
Davis, Boston (5), Bradshaw (6) and Spray, Poe (5), Koelsch (7) and Beck. W–Koelsch. L–Bradshaw. 2B–GB–Beck 2, Aylward; N–Davis 3.
GB Chiefs 000 001 0 – 1 5 3
Hays Eagles 000 012 x – 3 6 4
Stuhlsatz, Chavez (6) and Beck. Wellbrock and Cox. W–Wellbrock. L–Stuhlsatz 7-2.
LEGION AAA ZONES (19 and under)
GREAT BEND—G1—Great Bend 12, Newton 11; G2—Hays 3, Great Bend 1; 7-21—G3—Great Bend 16-8 vs. Newton 11-12, 5 p.m.; G4—Hays 18-4 vs. G3 winner, 7:30
TOPEKA (7-21)—G1—Leavenworth vs. Salina Falcons 12-14, 6 p.m.; G2—Topeka vs. G1 winner, 8:30
EMPORIA—Emporia 12, Ottawa 3; Pittsburg 13, Emporia 1; Ottawa 20, Emporia 2; Pittsburg 5, Ottawa 2; SQ—Pittsburg 19-7, Ottawa 15-18
LEGION AA ZONES (19 under)
HOISINGTON—G1—Larned 11, Otis-Bison 1; G2—Goodland 7, Ellinwood 3; G3—Larned 4, Goodland 3; G4—Otis-Bison 18, Ellinwood 9; G5—Goodland def. Otis-Bison; G6—Goodland 4, Larned 2; G7—Larned 15, Goodland 5; SQ—Larned 10-8
BELOIT—Clifton 5, Norton 3; Republic County 7, Smith Center 1; Beloit 16, Clifton 12; Smith Center 18, Norton 3; 7-21—G5—Beloit 15-6 vs. Republic County 8-13; G6—Smith Center 19-14 vs. Clifton 7-16; G7—Winner G6 vs. loser G5
IOLA—Iola def. Wamego; Silver Lake 3, Iola 0; Iola 8, Wamego 0; Iola 8, Silver Lake 3; Silver Lake def. Iola, SQ—Silver Lake 18-7
SABETHA—G1—Doniphan County 10, Seneca 1; G2—Marysville 6, Hiawatha 5; 7-19—G3—Marysville 4, Corning 0; Doniphan County 6, Sabetha 2; Corning 7, Seneca 6; Hiawatha 4, Sabetha 2; 7-21—G7—Corning 10-8 vs. Hiawatha 2-16, 6 p.m.; G8—Marysville 12-10 vs. Doniphan County 13-10, 8 p.m.
AA/AAA STATE PITTSBURG
July 28-July 31
HAYS (18-4)—State titles 1961, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1981, 2012, 2013, 2015
SILVER LAKE (18-7)—State titles 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1992, 2005,
OTTAWA (15-18)—State titles 1994, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017
PITTSBURG (19-7)—State titles 1970, 2008, 2009, 2014
LARNED (10-8)—State titles 1990, 1990, 2000, 2019
LEGION A ZONES (17 and under)
CHANUTE—G1—Pittsburg 14, Ottawa 4; G2—Overbrook Santa Fe Trail def. Garnett; G3—Pittsburg 4, Iola 3; G4—Overbrook Santa Fe Trail def. Chanute; Iola 14, Garnett 0; Chanute 8, Ottawa 3; 7-22—G7—Pittsburg vs. Overbrook 16-6, 6 p.m. (SQ); G8—Chanute 15-5 vs. Iola, 8 p.m.; 7-23—G9—Winner G8 vs. loser G7 (SQ)
CLAY CENTER—G1—Clay Center 10, Hays (17) 2; G2—Salina Eagles 6, Clay Center 4; G3—Junction City 12, McPherson (15) 9; G4—McPherson 6, Hays (17) 1; G6—Junction City 10, Salina Eagles 0; G6—McPherson 7, Clay Center 2; G7—Salina Eagles 8, McPherson 2; G8—Junction City 14, Salina Eagles 3; SQ—Junction City 16-7, Salina Eagles 20-12
MCPHERSON (7-21)—G1—Andover Central 9-3-2 vs. Winfield 1-15, 5 p.m.; G2—McPherson (16) 16-8-1 vs. Hays (15) 8-11, 5 p.m.; G3—winners G1, G2, 7 p.m.; G4—losers G1, G2, 7 p.m.
TOPEKA—Salina Hawks 7, Hiawatha 0; Salina Hawks 16, Doniphan County 0; SQ—Salina Hawks 37-4; Doniphan County
