Great Bend Braves lose semifinal
BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The hometown Great Bend Braves were one out away from playing for a Class A American Legion baseball championship.
But the Pittsburg Patriots emerged with a runoff victory 6-5 when Noah Duncan and Quinten Fears scored on a game-ending error. The Patriots loaded the bases with two out on two walks and a hit batter. Two runs scored when a pickoff throw from pitcher Hunter Herrman eluded first baseman Wrikin Scobee.
“That’s a tough loss. The guys showed emotion, which shows they cared,” said Braves coach Landon Sciacca. “They’re playing baseball for the right reasons. I’m proud of them.”
The back-and-forth ballgame featured key hits and misplays. The Braves players also competed on a 20-8-3 (15-and-under) Bombers team.
“It was a good game and we were locked in,” said Sciacca. “They’ll take experience from all the baseball they played this summer. This will help them in the long run. They’ll learn from it.”
After a 90-minute rain delay, the Braves (11-11-1) scored five unearned runs off five Pittsburg errors.
Owen Kaiser doubled Carson Umphres in the first inning, Herrman scored on Scobee’s sacrifice fly and French scored on an error for a 3-0 lead.
Pittsburg tagged Umphres’ fastball in a 3-run third inning. Noah Duncan singled home Brodie Wilson. Noah Valenti doubled home Kole Wiles and Carston Simmons for a 3-3 tie.
Slade Mohr singled and scored on Pittsburg’s third error in the fourth inning. Sparks scored on Wilson’s single for a 4-4 tie after six innings.
Lane French reached on an error and scored on Pittsburg’s fifth error for a 5-4 lead.
CLAY CENTER 11, PITTSBURG 1 (championship) — Clay Center captured the Class A Legion baseball championship as pitcher Mark Hoffman struck out nine batters in a no-hit 5-inning performance. Clay Center (27-7) outscored five teams 53-10 to dominate the state tournament. Brett Hoffman, Morgan Brumfield and Carter Long each drove home two runs.
Pittsburg 000 00 — 1 0 2
Clay Center 223 31 — 11 15 2
Duncan, Sparks (3), Vaughn (5) and Valenti. Mark Hoffman and Tadtman. W—Mark Hoffman. L—Duncan. 2B—Mark Hoffman 2.
A LEGION STATE
GREAT BEND SPORTS COMPLEX
POOL A—Pittsburg 2-1, Newton 2-1, Overbrook 1-2, Iola 1-2
POOL B—Clay Center 3-0, Great Bend 2-1, Marysville 1-2, Topeka Senators 0-3
WEDNESDAY—Pittsburg 9 Newton 6; Overbrook 6, Iola 2; Clay Center 13, Marysville 1; Great Bend 11, Topeka 0; THURSDAY—Clay Center 7, Topeka 6; Great Bend 6, Marysville 5; Pittsburg 6, Overbrook 4; Marysville 8, Topeka 6; Newton 8, Iola 1; FRIDAY—Newton 5, Overbrook 2; Iola 13, Pittsburg 10; Clay Center 12, Great Bend 2
SATURDAY—Pittsburg 6, Great Bend 5; Clay Center 10, Newton 0; CHAMPIONSHIP—Clay Center 11, Pittsburg 1
CLAY CENTER 10, NEWTON 0 (semifinal) — Clay Center pitcher Cole Pladson struck out 11 batters in a 1-hit shutout. Newton’s Ryan Ruggiero spoiled the no-hitter with a single.
Mark Hoffman drove in four runs and Jace Weller drove in two runs. Clay Center scored seven unearned runs.
CLAY CENTER 12, BRAVES 2 — The Great Bend Braves sat out its top four batters against Clay Center and the result was predictable. Clay Center routed Great Bend 12-2 Friday to clinch the top seed in Pool B. Braves French, Scobee, Umphres and Kaiser took the night off.
Clay Center took advantage of five walks, three errors and two hit batters to roll to a 10-0 lead.
Five Clay Center baserunners scored after drawing walks, one after a hit batter and two on Braves’ errors. Tucker Jackson drilled a 2-run single in a 6-run second inning off starter Jace Schartz.
Justin Wright and Brody Hayes drove home runs in a 4-run third inning off Collin Saffa.
Great Bend’s Campbell Coleman broke up a shutout in the fourth inning with a 2-run single that scored Slade Mohr and Peyden Oelger.
Justin Wright’s 2-run single made it 12-2.
NEWTON 5, OVERBROOK 2 — Newton clinched the second semifinal berth in Pool A. Ryan Ruggiero delivered a 2-run single and Blaze Bradshaw hit an RBI single in a 3-run fourth inning,. Newton shortstop Cooper Perkins turned a game-ending double play.
IOLA 13, PITTSBURG 10 — Pittsburg dropped a 13-10 game, but maintained the top seed in Pool A by beating Newton head-to-head. Iola’s Payton Houk drove in five runs and Brooklyn Ellis drove home three runs.
A LEGION STATE
GREAT BEND SPORTS COMPLEX
POOL A—Pittsburg 2-1, Newton 2-1, Overbrook 1-2, Iola 1-2
POOL B—Clay Center 3-0, Great Bend 2-1, Marysville 1-2, Topeka Senators 0-3
WEDNESDAY—Pittsburg 9 Newton 6; Overbrook 6, Iola 2; Clay Center 13, Marysville 1; Great Bend 11, Topeka 0; THURSDAY—Clay Center 7, Topeka 6; Great Bend 6, Marysville 5; Pittsburg 6, Overbrook 4; Marysville 8, Topeka 6; Newton 8, Iola 1; FRIDAY—Newton 5, Overbrook 2; Iola 13, Pittsburg 10; Clay Center 12, Great Bend 2
SATURDAY—Pittsburg 6, Great Bend 5; Clay Center 10, Newton 0; CHAMPIONSHIP—Clay Center 11, Pittsburg 1
Great Bend 102 100 1 — 5 6 1
Pittsburg 003 001 1 — 6 8 5
Umphres, Herrman (7) and Kaiser. Simmons, Sparks (6) and Valenti. W—Sparks. L—Herrman, 2-1. 2B—GB—Kaiser; P—Valenti, Wilson.
Newton 000 000 — 0 1 4
Clay Center 305 101 —10 8 0
Schultz and Ruggiero. Pladson and Brumfield. W—Pladson. L—Schultz. 2B—CC—Hayes, Pladson.
Great Bend 002 00 — 2 4 3
Clay Center 064 2x — 12 8 1
Hammond and Brumfield. Schartz, Saffa (3), Milsap (4) and Brumfield. W—Hammond. L—Schartz 0-2. 2B—CC—Pladson.
Newton 011 300 0 — 5 9 3
Overbook 000 110 0 — 2 3 3
Bradshaw and Ruggiero. Strother, Long (7) and Gleason. W—Bradshaw. L—Strother. 2B—O—Strother.
Iola 322 220 0 — 13 13 2
Pittsburg 300 412 0 — 10 9 4
Golden, Mathes (4) and Dougherty. Ray, Wiles (3), Holloway (3) and Valenti, Duncan (6). W—Mathes. L—Wiles. 2B—I—Houk.
