BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
GODDARD — A 6-run first inning eased the nerves for the Great Bend Bat Cats. Newcomer Grant Nottlemann homered and doubled to spark a 16-5 rout over the Wichita Black Sox in Thursday's Summerball Showdown.
The Bat Cats (1-1, plus 9 runs) move into the top eight at 5 p.m. Friday against the Kansas Curve in Friday's bracket play at the Genesis Sports Complex.
The first tiebreaker is run differential with least runs permitted in case of a tie.
Nottlemann came off the bench to deliver a home run and double for two RBIs. Nolan Riley rejoined the Bat Cats with three hits and three RBIs. Sparkplug Alex Rodgers and Bodi Wallar each drove home two runs.
Winning pitcher Logan Redeker (1-0) threw three shutout innings. Ian Lanik threw 21/2 shutout innings and Tyrus Riley tossed two shutout frames to start the game.
Wallar drilled a 2-run double. Nolan Riley, Colter Maldanado, Connor Allen and Hunter Gotreaux drove home runs in a 6-run first inning. The Bat Cats scored in seven of nine innings to regain batting confidence after an 18-day layoff prior to Wednesday.
DIRTBAGS 7, BAT CATS 5 — After pitching under pressure all night, the Wichita Dirtbags made the Great Bend Bat Cats pay with the game-winning single for a 7-5 victory in 10 innings. The finish for the Great Bend Bat Cats was a heartbreaker in Wednesday's Summerball Showdown.
Dirtbag Miguel Ramos drilled a 2-run single off reliever Zach Thornton to score Saben Seager and Micah Drovak. Ramos' hard-hit grounder skipped past first baseman Bodi Waller down the right field line for their 17th hit.
Dirtbag pitcher Tre Hungria survived a 128-pitch outing with eight strikeouts in 100-degree heat. The marathon 10-inning affair lasted nearly four hours after a 60-minute lightning delay.
The Bat Cats didn't trail until the 10th inning.
Pitcher-after-pitcher for the Bat Cats stranded baserunners with clutch 2-out pitching. Catcher Connor Allen sparked the defense by throwing out two baserunners. Third baseman Colter Maldanado and shortstop Carson Pracht each turned double plays.
However, the result after an 18-day baseball layoff for the Bat Cats was somewhat predictable.
Bat Cat pitchers David Stuart and Matt Nedved keyed a strong start with four shutout innings.
Two Bat Cat newcomers from Barton Community College paid immediate dividends. The Bat Cats led 3-0 with a 3-run third inning. Connor Scott drilled a 2-run single to score Connor Allen and JoJo Nieves. Nolan Riley followed with an RBI single that scored Alex Rodgers.
Dirtbag Seager scored on a groundout and Garryn Plummer scored on Angel Cano's fifth-inning single for a 3-2 score. Rodgers sixth-inning homer hand the Bat Cats a 4-2 lead.
Isaiah Cowens scored on a wild pitch. Maldanado doubled and scored on Hunter Gotreaux's sixth-inning single for a 5-3 lead.
Australian reliever Brett Allen was unable to protect the lead. The Dirtbags tied it 5-5 when Seager and Dvorak delivered RBI singles in the eighth inning.
GB Bat Cats 603 011 113 — 16 19 1
Black Sox 001 301 000 — 5 6 2
Tyrus Riley, Tower (3), Redeker (4), Lanik (7) and Connor Allen. Tolle, Haines (7), Elliott (9) and Byfield. W—Redeker, 1-0. L—Tolle. 2B—GB—Scott 2, Wallar, Nottlemann. HRGB—Nottlemann.
Wichita Dirtbags 000 021 020 2 — 7 17 1
GB Bat Cats 003 011 000 0 — 5 8 0
Hungria and Plummer. Stuart, Nedved (3), Brett Allen (6), Thornton (9), Riley (10) and Connor Allen. W—Hungria. L—Thornton. 2B—GB—Riley, Connor Allen, Maldanado. HR—GB—Rodgers.
WEDNESDAY—Wichita Dirtbags 7, Great Bend Bat Cats 5; Wellington Heat 11, Wichita 316 0; El Dorado Walnuts 14, Valley Center Mud Daubers 6; Winfield Midwest Moos 4, Chicago Pumas 1; Kansas Cannons 8, Newton Rebels 1; Kansas Curve 8, ICT Avengers; 0; Corn Belt League, Neb. 16, McPherson Pipeliners 0; Palm Springs, Calif. 8, U.S. Military Wardogs 6; Park City Rangers 8, Oklahoma City Pelicans 0; Cluckers 8, Wichita Black Sox 3
THURSDAY—Newton 9, Kansas Curve 2; Corn Belt 14, Midwest Moos 6; Park City 11, ICT Avengers 1; Oklahoma City 10, McPherson 1; Wellington 11, Chicago Pumas 7; Great Bend 16, Wichita Black Sox 5; Palm Springs 11, Cluckers 1; Kansas Cannons 14, Valley Center 2; Dirtbags 8, U.S. Military 3; El Dorado 15, Wichita (316) 4
TWO GAME SEEDING
TEAMS 2-0—(1) Corn Belt +24 (30-6); (2) Kansas Cannons +19 (22-3); (3) El Dorado +19 (29-10); (4) Park City +18 (19-1); (5) Wellington +17 (25-8); (6) Palm Springs +12 (19-7); (7) Dirtbags +7 (15-8)
TEAMS 1-1—(8) Bat Cats +9 (21-12); (9) Kansas Curve +1 (10-9); (10) Oklahoma City +1 (10-9); (11) Newton Rebels 0 (10-10); (12) Midwest Moos -5 (10-15); (13) Cluckers -5 (9-14)
TEAMS 0-2—(14) U.S. Military (-7); (15) Chicago Pumas (-9); (16) Wichita Black Sox (-15); (17) ICT Avengers (-18); (18) Valley Center (-20); (19) Wichita 316 (-22); (20) McPherson (-25)
FRIDAY'S BRACKET
(16) Wichita Black Sox 13, (17) ICT Avengers 0; (1) Corn Belt, Neb. 14, (16) Wichita Black Sox 4; (8) Great Bend Bat Cats 4, Kansas Curve 3
(13) Cluckers 6, (20) McPherson 5; (4) Park City 10, (13) Cluckers 0; (5) Wellington 11, (12) Midwest Moos 0
(18) Valley Center 9, (15) Chicago Pumas 7; (2) Kansas Cannons 9, (18) Valley Center 8; (7) Dirtbags 10, (10) Oklahoma City 5
(19) Wichita (316) 12, (14) U.S. Military 3; (3) El Dorado 11, (19) Wichita (316) 4; (11) Newton Rebels 4, (6) Palm Springs 2
SATURDAY'S QUARTERFINALS
7 p.m. F1—(1) Corn Belt, Neb. vs. (8) Great Bend Bat Cats
6 p.m. F3—(4) Park City Rangers vs. (5) Wellington
8 p.m. F5—(2) Kansas Cannons vs. (7) Dirtbags
9 p.m. F2—(3) El Dorado vs. (11) Newton Rebels
