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MAKING HISTORY
Bat Cats sweep 5-time NBC champion
Corrigan Bartlett game winning run
Jordan Wilkerson scores the eventual game-winning run for the Great Bend Bat Cats in a 6-1 victory over the El Dorado Broncos. - photo by JIM MISUNAS Great Bend Tribune

BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Barton Community College’s all-league Michael Sinks felt right at home.
Sinks delivered the biggest base hits in the Great Bend Bat Cats’ brief history with a pair of two-run singles that shocked the El Dorado Broncos 6-1 Wednesday at Al Burns Field. The Bats Cats completed a sweep with a 7-2 second-game victory.
“I’m looking for a fastball and hit fastball both times,” Sinks said. “That’s a situation you want to take advantage of. I’m looking to get ahead in the count and see a pitch I want to hit.”
Sinks singled home Corrigan Bartlett and Ben Sems in the fifth and sixth innings after Mateo Zunica beat out back-to-back infield grounders to load the bases. Sinks greeted reliever Austin Meyer with a two-run single and delivered another game-clinching two-run single in the sixth inning.
The Bat Cats’ first victory in history stunned the five-time NBC national champions under coach Roger Ward.
‘‘It’s awesome,” said Sinks, who will play baseball at Central Missouri State. “It’s always been a dream for coach Ward to have a team. The first win is big time for him.”
University of the Ozarks pitcher Gyeongju Kim threw four innings after recording six outs Tuesday night. The native of Seoul, South Korea yielded one run in four innings.
Hunter Romero drilled a run-scoring double to score Dawson Pomeroy in the second inning for a 1-0 lead.
The Broncos tied it on Tyler Bailey’s RBI single that scored Kyle Barfield in the fourth inning off Kim.
The Bat Cats responded with three runs for a 4-1 lead. Jordan Wilkerson scored on Romero’s double-play groundball in the fourth inning.
Bat Cat relievers Alex Ruxlow and Taylor Langston combined for three shutout innings. Langston struck out Kyle Barfield for the game-ending out.

“It was pretty special to win that first game. We want to prove we can play with anybody in the league,” said Bat Cats coach Roger Ward. “We showed we compete with them. Just about every team in the Jayhawk League has competed at the national level.” 
BAT CATS 7, BRONCOS 2 — The Bat Cats stunned the Broncos in game two as relief pitcher Jack Waggoner struck out Tanner White to earn the victory with five strikeouts. Waggoner and starter Alex Knight each yielded one run.
Hunter Romero drilled a two-run homer for the Bat Cats’ first official homer. Corrigan Bartlett singled home Peyton Barnes and Sinks. Brandon Bachar singled home Bartlett. Sinks scored on a first-inning wild pitch and drove home Great Bend’s Brady Michel on a sacrifice fly to spark a four-run third inning.

College of the Ozarks pitchers Kim and Waggoner combined to pitch eight innings. Catchers Brett Bonar and Brooks Asher called the pitches.
“Our catchers call the game because they can see pitch-location and get on the same page,” Ward said. “It gives them the ability to set up the hitters. I have confidence in our pitchers.”

BAT CATS 6, BRONCOS 1
EL DORADO ab r h bi
Jaret Koin 4 0 1 0
Kyle Barfield 4 1 1 0
Kolt Schenker 3 0 0 0
Aaron Mack 2 0 0 0
Tristan Peterson 2 0 0 0
Tyler Bailey 3 0 2 1
John Legare 3 0 0 0
Ben Olsen 3 0 0 0
Mason Goade 3 0 1 0
Totals 27 1 5 1
BAT CATS ab r h bi
Mateo Zunica 4 0 3 0
Michael Sinks 4 0 2 4
Jordan Wilkerson 4 1 1 0
Dawson Pomeroy 3 1 2 0
Dawson Fontenot 2 0 0 0
Hunter Romero 3 0 1 1
Brett Bonar 3 0 0 0
Corrigan Bartlett 3 2 2 0
Ben Sems 3 2 1 0
Totals 29 6 12 5
ED 000 100 0 — 1 5 1
GB 010 122 x — 6 12 1
2B—Romero. DP—El Dorado 1. S—Fontenot. WP—Meyer. E—McIntyre, Pomeroy. Balk—Kim.
ED          ip  r  er h  so bb
McIntyre  4  4  4   8  1    0
Meyer      2  2  2   4  2    1
GB          ip  r  er  h so  bb
Kim         4  1  1   3  3    0
Ruxlow    2  0  0   0  2    1
Langston  1  0  0   2  1    0

BAT CATS 7, BRONCOS 2
EL DORADO ab r h bi
Jaret Koin 2 1 2 1
Kyle Barfield 3 0 0 0
Aaron Mack 3 0 1 0
Josh Riggs 4 0 1 0
Tyler Bailey 3 0 1 0
John Legare 3 0 1 1
Tanner White 4 0 0 0
Sam Dannehl 3 1 1 0
Mason Goade 2 0 0 0
Totals 27 2 7 2
BAT CATS ab r h bi
Mateo Zunica 2 0 0 0
Michael Sinks 1 2 0 1
Corrigan Bartlett 4 2 2 2
Jordan Wilkerson 4 1 1 0
Hunter Romero 3 1 1 2
Brandon Bachar 3 1 1 2
Brooks Asher 3 1 1 2
Ben Sems 2 0 0 0
Brady Michel 2 1 1 0
Totals 22 7 5 6
ED 100 100 0 — 2 7 2
GB 104 020 x — 7 5 1
HR—Romero. SF—Sinks. SB—Zunica, Bartlett, SInks, Koin. CS—Koin. E—Sems, Koin, SD. HBP—Sems, Zunica, Koin.

ED            ip  r  er  h so bb
Reidmiller  4   7  7  4   2   4
Glass         1  0  0  1   0   0
White         1  0  0  0   0   1
GB            ip  r  er  h so bb
Knight        3  1  1   1  1   4
Waggoner  4  1  1   6  5   1


JAYHAWK LEAGUE
Derby Twins 3-1
Hays Larks 2-1
Haysville Aviators 3-2
Dodge City As 2-1
Great Bend Bat Cats 2-2
Liberal BeeJays 2-2
El Dorado Broncos 2-3
Oklahoma City 0-4

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Haysville 16, Oklahoma City 9
Liberal 8, Derby 3

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 6-7, El Dorado 1-2
Derby 7. Liberal 4
Dodge City 8, Hays 7
Haysville 5, Oklahoma City 4, 13 innings

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Derby at Liberal
El Dorado at Great Bend
Hays at Dodge City, ppd.
Oklahoma City at Haysville

FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Great Bend at Oklahoma City
El Dorado at Dodge City
Liberal at Hays
Derby vs. Haysville