BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
JUNCTION CITY – By virtue of a dominating 9-4 victory over Pratt Tri-County Huskers, the Great Bend Chiefs advanced to a championship showdown against the Wichita Yellow Jackets in Sunday’s Junction City Round Robin.
The Chiefs (13-11) lost 6-2 to the Wichita Yellow Jackets Sunday for the Junction City championship. The game was stopped at the one hour, 55-minute mark instead of the projected two-hour time limit.
YELLOW JACKETS 6, CHIEFS 2 (CHAMPIONSHIP) – The Chiefs felt like they were in a time warp with the umpires unable to check their watch for a two-hour time limit. The Chiefs were also trapped in what's defined as a "mobile-strike zone," where the zone shifts during the ballgame.
The Chiefs' effort was spiced by outstanding defense. Third baseman Brad Beck threw out Skylar Chavez at home. Centerfielder Gavin Haberman made circus catches on Shea Seals and Tyner Horn. First baseman Stefan Spray made a glove save on a hard-hit ground ball.
Medicine Lodge pitcher Cauy Scripsick slowed the Chiefs by yielding four hits with two walks.
The Chiefs scored two runs despite giving up outs on sacrifice bunts. Jade Poe doubled and scored on Brad Beck's sacrifice fly after a bunt by Stefan Spray. Haberman scored on a double steal with Paco Hernandez after a bunt by Townshend Kurth moved Haberman into scoring position.
The Yellow Jackets pushed across one run with a base hit, scoring five runs on two groundouts, an error, a passed ball and a balk. Owen Clyne scored on a first-inning passed ball. Easton Norris scored on a groundout. Clyne scored on a third-inning balk. Baron Lynch scored on a fourth-inning groundout. Clyne scored on a fifth-inning error. Isaac Heeb's sixth-inning single scored Lynch for a 6-2 victory.
Chiefs coach Randy Beck was pleased by the effort against an all-star team featuring varsity baseball players from Maize South, Wichita Northwest, Halstead and Medicine Lodge.
"We played pretty well. We definitely had a good effort today and competed. We gave them a few runs because of mental mistakes. We had them in a rundown and threw the ball away. We didn't make any breaks. We didn't have timely hits.
CHIEFS 9, TRI-COUNTY HUSKERS 4 – Chayse Gruber played the role of Superman with a solid pitching effort and four RBIs off four base hits. Gavin Haberman scored four runs with two walks and two singles.
Townshend Kurth singled home Mathew Moeder and Haberman scored on Gruber's groundout for a 2-1 lead. Kurth tripled home Haberman and Gruber's single scored Kurth for a 4-1 lead after four innings.
Gruber doubled home Haberman and Kurth in a two-run fifth inning. Moeder's squeeze bunt scored Brad Beck and Haberman singled home Stefan Spray in a three-run sixth inning. Gruber singled home Haberman for a 9-1 lead. Tri-County scored three sixth-inning runs with three walks, two hits and an error.
JUNCTION CITY 7, CHIEFS 6 – Five errors and a costly wild pitch handed Junction City a hard-fought 7-6 victory over the Great Bend Chiefs in Saturday’s Junction City Round Robin. Junction City’s Nate Rumbaugh scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
The Chiefs led 6-0, but went scoreless for six innings to lose a heartbreaker.
Junction City scored six runs without virtue of a run-scoring base hit.
The Chiefs scored six second-inning runs. Einar Vargas doubled home Stefan Spray and Brad Beck for a 2-0 lead. Layton Holden scored on a Paco Hernandez misplayed groundball. Vargas scored on an error for a 4-0 lead. Townshend Kurth’s single scored Hernandez. Chayse Gruber’s single scored Kurth for a 6-0 lead. Jade Poe bounced into an inning-ending double play.
The Chiefs missed two chances to score. Holden was tagged out at home on Gavin Haberman’s sixth-inning squeeze bunt. Kurth doubled, but was stranded at third base in the seventh.
Keyahn Taylor stole home and Rumbaugh scored on Aiden Field’s second-inning triple for a 6-2 score. Russ Wilkey scored on Keyahn Taylor’s sacrifice fly. Kyrell Taylor scored on Braeden Avers’ second-inning groundout for a 6-4 score.
Field scored on Wilkey’s fourth-inning sacrifice fly for a 6-5 score. Keyahn Taylor scored on Jordan Kell’s groundout for a 6-6 tie after seven innings. Rumbaugh scored on Townshend Kurth’s wild pitch with two out in the eighth inning.
CHIEFS 12, HUTCHINSON 1 – Townshend Kurth, Brad Beck and Stefan Spray each drove home two runs. Starter Layton Holden and Gavin Haberman combined to work four innings.
The Chiefs scored three first-inning runs. Hernandez scored on Kurth’s sacrifice fly. Spray’s double scored Gruber and Jade Poe for a 3-0 lead. Hernandez scored on a bases-loaded walk for a 4-1 lead.
The Chiefs scored eight third-inning runs. Mathew Moeder scored on Hernandez’s single. Vargas and Haberman scored on bases-loaded walks. Hernandez scored on a wild pitch. Beck’s single scored Kurth and Gruber. Jade Poe scored on an error. Vargas singled home Beck for a 12-1 lead.
Hutchinson’s Kinser Newquist scored on Bennett Turner’s first-inning single. Colts starter Taybin Smith was tagged with the loss.
YELLOW JACKETS 6, CHIEFS 2
Chiefs 011 000 – 2 4 3
Yellow Jackets 102 111 – 6 7 0
Hernandez, Hall (5) and Poe. Scripsick and Hunt. W–Scripsick. L–Hernandez. 2B–GB–Poe.
CHIEFS 9, HUSKERS 4
Chiefs 020 223 – 9 11 2
Tri-County 100 003 – 4 3 3
Gruber, Spray (6) and Beck. Gantz, Colby Pore (6) and Cal Pore. W–Gruber. L–. 2B–GB–Poe, Gruber. 3B–P–Martinez.
BLUES 7, CHIEFS 6
Chiefs 060 000 00 – 6 9 5
Blues 022 100 11 – 7 5 1
Joseph Moeder, Kurth (7) and Beck. L—Kurth. 2B—GB—Kurth, Vargas, Holden. 3B—JC—Miller, Field.
CHIEFS 12, COLTS 1
Chiefs 318 0 – 12 8 3
Colts 100 0 – 1 3 1
Holden, Haberman (4) and Beck. Smith, Dixon (3), Cunningham (4) and Goldsmith, Seitz. W—Holden. L—Smith. 2B—GB—Spray, Kurth.
JUNCTION CITY ROUND ROBIN BASEBALL
Wichita 4-0, Junction City 3-1, Great Bend Chiefs 2-2, Pratt 1-3, Hutchinson 0-4
FRIDAY G1 – Great Bend Chiefs 12, Hutchinson 1
FRIDAY G2 – Wichita 15, Junction City 5
SATURDAY G3 – Junction City 7, Great Bend Chiefs 6
SATURDAY G4 – Junction City 5,. Hutchinson 3
SATURDAY G5 – Pratt 11, Hutchinson 7
SATURDAY G6 – Wichita 9, Tri-County Huskers 0
SUNDAY G7 – Great Bend Chiefs 9, Pratt 4
SUNDAY G8 – Junction City def. Tri-County Huskers
SUNDAY G9 – Wichita Yellow Jackets 6, Great Bend Chiefs 2
SUNDAY G10 – Wichita Yellow Jackets 5, Hutchinson 2
