DODGE CITY — Nothing seemed to be going right for the Great Bend Chiefs at the midpoint late Wednesday afternoon during an elimination game of the Class AAA American Legion Zone Tournament at Demon Field.
Dodge City held a 3-1 lead after 4½ innings as Great Bend pitcher Connor Sell was having control problems, walking four batters and hitting three others during that stretch.
Furthermore, the Chiefs managed just one run through their first four at-bats — an RBI single by in the second by Logan Buehler, driving in Darien Blackwill.
All of that changed in the bottom of the fifth, where the Chiefs sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring eight runs for a 9-3 lead en route to a 13-3 victory. After Great Bend scored four runs in the seventh, the game was called because of the 10-run rule.
The Chiefs advanced to the championship round against Hays, the top seed, while Dodge City closed its season.
Sell, whose soaring pitch count reached 124 by game’s ends, finished strong, facing only eight batters during the final two innings. Sell finished with a five-hitter.
Matt Marshall and Mitch Kottas led Great Bend’s 14-hit attack. Marshall went 4 for 4, including two doubles and a pair of singles, drove in three runs and also scored a pair. Lead-off hitter Kottas went 4 for 5 at the plate, including three singles and a double, and drove in a run. Blackwill and Buehler both finished with two hits, and Landon Leuenberger and Jeff Pike each had a base hit.

Class AAA American Legion
Zone 7 Baseball Tournament
Wednesday
At Demon Field
 ELIMINATION GAME
Dodge City 13, Great Bend 3 (7)
                            123 456 7       R  H E
Dodge City         001 020 0 —   3  5  2
Great Bend         010 080 4 — 13 14 3
     Connor Sell & Landon Leuenberger; Jesus Sumaya, Colbie Penick (5) & BJ Tieben. W — Sell. L — Sumaya. 2B — Great Bend (Matt Marshall 2, Mitch Kottas).