Sometimes baseball is full of strategy. A critical squeeze play, a perfectly timed hit-and-run or manufacturing a run late in the game.
Other times it can be very simple. Like throwing strikes.
For the Great Bend Chiefs the past few outings, that is what it has boiled down to.
Tuesday night against Dodge City, the Chiefs threw strikes – Dodge City didn’t. The result was an easy sweep for Great Bend, winning 18-2 and 11-3.
The wins improved the Chiefs to 7-3 on the season as they head to Oklahoma City this weekend for tournament action.
In the 18-2 win, Great Bend had just six hits in 11 official at bats through two innings as the game ended by run-rule after the top of the third. Mixed in were 13 base on balls by Dodge City.
“Their guys just couldn’t throw strikes,” Chiefs coach Roger Ward said. “We were able to and they weren’t. Sometimes you just have to throw strikes.”
In that first game Brice Kaiser threw a pair of innings for Great Bend to pick up the win while Kody Lang finished the final inning. Kaiser allowed a pair of runs to score – thanks to leadoff walks.
“Brice had no varsity experience coming into this summer,” Coach Ward said. “He threw 2 2/3 innings against the Kansas Curve and two more against Dodge City. That has really helped us out. Kody has now thrown three innings for us and might figure more into the rotation down the stretch.”
During the midweek games, Coach Ward said he tries to set up his rotation for the weekend. In the second game he gave Anson Hall a pair of innings to get ready for the weekend.
“He hadn’t thrown for almost a week” Coach Ward said. “We just wanted to sharpen him up some. He was in the strike zone but almost to a fault. The two runs he gave up were on 0-2 pitches that he didn’t work up or down or in or out.
While still drawing nearly double digit walks in the second game, Great Bend hit the ball hard. Brady Michel had a double and a triple while Jared Maneth had double to go along with the game-ending single to give the Chiefs the run-rule win.
Back for the second game were a pair of players returning from football camp in Payton Mauler and Bryce Lytle.
“They came straight from getting back from camp right the diamond and I put them in,” Coach Ward said. “I think that showed a lot of character on their part. They were beat up a little and sore from camp but came right to the ball field.
“When things like (football camp) happen – and it will always happen in places like Great Bend – sometimes you wonder as a coach if the kids are all in. But you have to remember they are all in, they are just trying to be all in for everyone in all their sports. To show up as soon as they got back to town really showed me everyone was all in on summer ball.”
Without some kids over the weekend, Great Bend struggled in the Hastings/Grand Island. Great Bend lost to Grand Island 5-3 on Friday. The Chiefs defeated DCB (Dannebrog-Cairo-Beolus, Neb.) Saturday 12-4 then lost to Hastings, 8-0. Play concluded Sunday with a 16-2 loss to Kearney.
“We couldn’t throw strikes,” Coach Ward said. “The weekend was combination of really good competition play up to their capabilities and our team not. That can turn into some ugly games and it did.”
Now it’s on to Oklahoma City and another tough slate this weekend. The Chiefs will play a pair of games Thursday and another Friday before bracket play starts on Saturday.
“It is going to be a good test,” Coach Ward said. “There are 32 teams and it is loaded with talent from all over. We play two Oklahoma teams that are all seniors who have committed to colleges. We also play Next Level academy out of Kansas that are all committed to play college.
“It’s going to be a test. I feel like the rotation is set up. We just need the kids to come out and compete.”
Thursday, Great Bend will play the Oklahoma Naturals at 11:45 am and the Next Level team from Kansas at 3:45 pm. Friday, the Chiefs play the Oklahoma Stars at 9 am. The weekend games will be determined by the results of the 3-game pool play.