Holding the lead twice in Class AAA American Legion baseball action against Buhler on Saturday evening, the Great Bend Chiefs couldn’t hold on in an 8-7 loss.
Buhler held on to a late one-run lead in a pool play game of the Chiefs Classic at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The game ended in six innings due to a time limit.
“They played OK for the first couple innings, and when it came down to end of the game, we just didn’t execute,” Chiefs head coach Michael Stettinger said of his team. “That’s basically it. We didn’t execute on offense. We didn’t execute on defense. We didn’t execute in all facets of the game.”
Great Bend scored six unanswered runs to start the game — three in the bottom of the first and three in the second.
Bryce Beck bunted for a single and scored on a Aaron Rodriguez groundout. Tyler Nuss and Alex Deist each hit an RBI single for a 3-0 lead after one.
Johnny Allende hit an RBI double, and Dillon Reiser drove in a pair of runs with a single.
Chiefs starting pitcher Reiser gave up his first run in the top of the third on a Layne Richert RBI single.
Reiser went four innings and left the game after giving up two runs in the fifth.
“Dillon threw fine for us,” Stettinger said. “I thought his pitch count was getting a little bit high. He was getting a little bit tired, so it was time to get him off the mound.”
The Chiefs’ Jaxx Hillman, who pitched in relief, allowed one more run before Will Perry hit a two-run home run.
With a 7-6 lead, Great Bend’s Tristan Hall came on in relief with one out in the sixth with the bases loaded. He walked Wyatt Regehr to tie the game. Derrick Simmons followed with an RBI single for what turned out to be the winning run.

CLASS AAA AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL
Chiefs Classic

Pool Play
At Great Bend Sports Complex

Saturday
Buhler 8, Great Bend 7 (6)
                      123   456         R    H    E
Buhler            001   052  —    8    9    2
Great Bend    330   010  —    7    9    0
     Layne Richert, Treyton DeVore (5) & Ryan Snow; Dillon Reiser, Jaxx Hillman (5), Tristan Hall (6) & Jared Maneth. W — Richert. L — Hall. 2B — Buhler (DeVore, Richert, Bryce Strecker); Great Bend (Johnny Allende). HR — Buhler (Will Perry).

2013 Chiefs Classic

Friday
Hutchinson Blue 22, Great Bend Chiefs 1 (5)

Saturday
Great Bend Chiefs 14, Larned 11 (6)
Hutchinson Blue 14, Larned 4 (5)
Hutchinson Blue 22, Buhler Nationals 0 (4)
Buhler Nationals 8 Great Bend Chiefs 7 (6)

Today
9 a.m. —  Larned vs. Buhler, Great Bend Sports Complex
11 — Semifinal at Sports Complex
11 — Semifinal at Al Burns Field
3 p.m. — Championship, Sports Complex