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Chiefs struggle in pool play at Salina tournament
Kansas Grand Slam Wood Bat Tournament
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SALINA — In the Great Bend Chiefs’ second game on Saturday at the Kansas Grand Slam Wood Bat Tournament, they put themselves in the driver’s seat down the stretch against the Topeka Golden Giants.That’s when the Golden Giants unleashed a trio of home runs, including a three-run blast and a two-run shot from third baseman Justin McNorton, that propelled them to a 9-4 victory.The Chiefs finished pool play with an 0-4 mark after falling 10-2 in six innings against the Lawrence Raiders to start the day.“The main thing is our defense,” Great Bend head coach Michael Stettinger said. “We’ve been hitting the ball well, pitching well, but we haven’t been making the plays behind our pitchers that we need to make.”Great Bend had nine hits against Topeka, and put two runs on the board in both the first and the second innings, giving it a 4-2 advantage heading into the third.“Jaxx Hillman got us started right off the bat with a walk,” Stettinger said of the bottom of the first. “Bryce Beck got a hit.