BY JIM MISUNAS
Your momma told you they would be days like this.
The Liberal Bee Jays scored seven first-inning runs and buried the Great Bend Bat Cats 18-3 in Saturday’s non-league baseball game at Al Burns Memorial Field.
The five-time NBC champions roughed up Bat Cat pitchers for 14 hits and six extra-base hits. Liberal’s pitchers turned up the heat to strike out 15 Bat Cats one night after a dominating 17-strikeout performance.
Great Bend (1-2) opens Sunflower Collegiate League play against Mulvane Tuesday at home.
The highlight for Great Bend was a pair of double plays turned by shortstop Seth Kenagy and second baseman Collin Meinert. Liberal’s Bryce Donovan bounced into a first-inning double play. Shortstop Kenagy delivered a memorable play when he gloved a grounder by Wyatt Grant and flipped to Meinert to start a fifth-inning double play.
The first five batters reached base against Bat Cats starter Ian Henricks, who walked four of five batters. Reliever John Zerr was touched for three first-inning runs.
Liberal’s Aidan Shepardson from Central Michigan drove home five runs with a four-hit night. Jake Schultz drove home four runs with a double, single and sacrifice fly.
Caeden Trenkle delivered a two-run double and Wyatt Grant, Wilson Ehrardt, Shepardson and Schultz drove home runs in the first inning.
Bat Cat Chandler Bloomer doubled home Kenagy in the first inning.
Schultz drove home Bryce Donovan with a third-inning sacrifice fly. Shepardson and Schultz delivered two-run hits in a four-run fourth inning for a 12-1 lead.
Bat Cat Christian Oliver singled home Trent Touchet and Meinert scored on an error in a two-run fourth inning for a 12-3 score.
Shepardson’s two-run single ignited a five-run seventh inning. Wyatt Grant hit a run-scoring double and Kade Brewer’s bases-loaded walk forced home a run. Brewer scored on an error.
Caeden Trenkle tripled and scored on Nate White’s eighth-inning sacrifice fly.
Liberal 701 400 51 – 18 14 2
Great Bend 100 200 00 – 3 5 2
Funk, Hunt (4), Brown (6), Shoemaker (8) and Donovan, Brewer (5). Henricks, Zerr (1), Shadrick (4), Gilbert (7) and Bloomer. W—Hunt. L—Henricks. 2B—GB—Bloomer, Michel; L—Schultz, Trenkle, Ehradt, Grant, Folds. 3B—L—Trenkle.
