By Mike Marzolf
Special to the Tribune
It was a strange way to win an American Legion Zone baseball title. But it was a title nonetheless for the Great Bend Chiefs.
Great Bend had an automatic bid to the Class AAA state tournament by hosting next week. That left one spot to advance as well. McPherson clinched the Zone 2 championship berth when Great Bend eliminated Garden City to end Monday's action. McPherson had won its first two games and advanced to the title game. Had Garden City beat Great Bend, Garden City would've had to beat McPherson twice to capture the Zone 2 title Tuesday.
McPherson, with its spot secure at the Class AAA State tournament, chose not to come back Tuesday, giving the Chiefs the Zone 1 title.
Great Bend eliminated Garden City by a 10-4 score in the loser's bracket final, then hoisted the trophy at the Great Bend Sports Complex as Zone champs.
"We would have preferred to finish but it is what it is," Great Bend coach Roger Ward said.
Great Bend jumped on top early with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Konner Ireland drew a 1-out walk, moved to third on a Brady Michel single and scored on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Jared Maneth.
Michel scored on a sacrifice fly by Jaxx Hillman.
Garden City answered back in the bottom of the first. Ryder Yakel tripled in a run and scored on a single to even it at 2-all.
The Chiefs manufactured a couple runs in the second. Peyton Mauler walked and Kody Lang was hit by a pitch. With one out Coach Ward had the two pull off a double steal.
Mauler scored on a squeeze bunt by Bryce Lytle. The Chiefs made it 4-2 when Lang scored on an error that would have been the final out of the inning.
That is when Brayden Smith settled in on the mound. After giving up six hits the first time through the order, Great Bend turned an inning-ending double play in the second. Smith settled in and retired nine straight after that.
"Before the double play if you would have told me Smitty was going to finish the game I would have said no way," Coach Ward said. "But he settled in after that and pitched really well."
Great Bend added to its lead in the fifth. The Chiefs loaded the bases with one out. Michel came in on passed ball then one out later Maneth scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-2.
Garden rallied in the sixth. Casey English cut the Chiefs lead in half with a 2-run homer to left. Smith stopped rally by enticing a ground out to second with the tying run at the plate.
The Chiefs put the game away in the top of the seventh.
With the lead down to a pair, Michel started the Chiefs off with a double to left and scored one out later on a single by Hillman.
Hillman would score later on an error and the floodgates opened. By the time the inning ended Anson Hall drove in two more after the Chiefs chased starter Sloan Baker.
"Those four runs were big," Coach Ward said. "That took a lot of pressure off us."
It gave Great Bend a commanding 10-4 lead.
Smith put Garden down in order in the bottom of the inning, ending with back-to-back strike outs.
"That is finishing the game," Ward said of Smith's back-to-back strike outs -- just his second and third of the game. "That was good to see."
In the first game Monday afternoon McPherson stayed unbeaten with a 6-1 win over Garden City in the winner’s bracket final. McPherson jumped on the Garden City Elite early and rolled.
McPherson scored three runs in the first and added two more in the third to build an early 5-0 lead.
Jack Riefsfchneider went the distance for McPherson, allowing just three hits. Alex Kalkorst hit a 2-run homer in the third.
Great Bend and McPherson will be part of the AAA State starting July 27.
CLASS AAA ZONE 1-2
GREAT BEND SPORTS COMPLEX
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Garden City 5, Buhler Nationals 1
McPherson 14, Great Bend Chiefs 2
Great Bend Chiefs 14, Buhler 4 (Buhler eliminated)
MONDAY’S GAMES
McPherson 6, Garden City 1 (Zone 2, McPherson, AAA State qualifier)
Great Bend 10, Garden City 4 (Zone 1, Great Bend, AAA State qualifier)
ZONE 3-4
AT OTTAWA
MONDAY’S GAMES
Ottawa 13, Leavenworth 1
Oskaloosa 9, Atchison 1
TUESDAY'S GAMES
Atchison 10, Leavenworth 7
Ottawa 7, Oskaloosa 0 (Ottawa 30-6, AAA State qualifier)
Oskaloosa 10-20 vs. Atchison 13-13 (AAA state qualifier)
ZONE 5-6
AT EMPORIA, SODEN’S GROVE
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Emporia 15, Junction City 2
Chanute 22-5 vs. Emporia 15-17 (Zone 5 winner, AAA state qualifier)
ZONE 7-8
AT NEWTON (Klein-Scott Field)
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Salina Falcons 8, Wichita Aviators 4
Newton 4, Andover 0
WEDNESDAY'S GAMES
6 p.m.--Wichita 17-11 Aviators vs. Andover 12-15
8:30 p.m.--Newton 15-16 vs. Salina Falcons 14-18 (Zone 8 winner, AAA state qualifier)
