WICHITA – The Great Bend Bat Cats surrended four runs without an RBI and lost a 5-3 10-inning heartbreaker to the Cheney Diamond Dawgs in Friday’s showdown game in the NBC World Series. A victory would’ve boosted the Bat Cats into the final 16 teams in the World Series.

Cheney scored its final two runs on pitches by Bat Cats reliever Drew Repp that were ruled passed balls. Cheney’s Travis Young and Dallas Reed scored on balls that catcher Brooks Asher was unable to block.

The Bat Cats (26-20) squandered a 3-0 fifth-inning lead. Benjamin Sems singled home Dawson Pomeroy. Corrigan Bartlett singled home Brady Michel. Sems scored on a wild pitch off starter Max Simpson. Cheney pitcher Bradley Demko shut out the Bat Cats for five innings.

Cheney’s Dallas Reed singled home Wyatt Divis, the Diamond Dawgs’ only RBI on a base hit. Dallas Reed scored on Taylor Langston’s hit-by-pitch. Phil Ingram was forced home on a bases-loaded walk by Langston for a 3-3 tie.

The first-year Bat Cats were a classic underdog story, sweeping through three pool games to advance one game away from playing three more games.

CHENEY 5, BAT CATS 3

Cheney 000 001 200 2 – 5 9 0

Bat Cats 000 030 000 0 – 3 7 1

Simpson, Demko (6) and Whisler. Kim, Langston (7), Knoten (7), Ruxlow (10), Repp (10), Pritchard (10) and Asher. W—Demko. L—Repp.