BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The Great Bend Chiefs played near-perfect baseball after a 10-hour delay. The Chiefs shut out Larned 11-0 Friday in a game that started at 10 p.m. — 10 hours after their scheduled start in the Chiefs’ Baseball Classic.
The Great Bend Braves lost to Hutchinson 4-0 in Friday’s opener.
CHIEFS 11, LARNED 0 — Great Bend’s Brayden Smith stayed red hot with two doubles and three hits. Pitchers Dalton Bieker and Max Jerke combined for four shutout innings.
The Chiefs scored three first-inning runs. Konner Ireland scored on a wild pitch. Smith scored on an error. Logan Perry singled home pinch runner Chance Perry after Jared Maneth reached on an error.
The Chiefs added four runs in the second inning. Cory Burnham scored on Bieker’s groundout. Smith’s doubled home Ireland. Smith scored on Maneth’s fly ball that was misplayed. Chance Perry scored on Kpy Brack’s single.
Great Bend scored four fourth-inning runs. Ireland scored on Maneth’s sacrifice fly. Smith scored on Logan Perry’s triple. Zach Jacobs singled to bring home Chance Perry. Jacobs scored on an error.
Larned’s Carson Smith singled and Jonathan Herter doubled in the third inning, but Jerke retired Alex Barger to preserve the shutout.
HUTCHINSON COLTS 4, BRAVES 0 — Great Bend pitcher Jesus Bujanda matched Hutchinson to a 0-0 tie through 41/3 innings. However, back-to-back errors cost Bujanda and the Braves four unearned runs in a 4-0 loss to the Hutchinson Colts.
Bujanda was two groundballs away from working a solid fifth inning, but two hard-hit balls were misplayed. Lane DeWitt scored on the first error. Holmberg singled home Brody Smith. Jordan Denison singled home pinch runner Carson Biehler. Landon Dimitt singled home Holmberg for a 4-0 lead.
Bujanda threw brilliantly and the Braves retired five baserunners on the bases. Bujanda picked off leadoff hitter Brody Smith and Korey Holmberg in the second inning.
Catcher Colin Hall threw out Smith at second base in the third inning. Centerfielder Calan Haberman turned a fly ball by Corwin into a doubleplay by throwing out Jordan Denison at home. First baseman Edurado Bujanda turned a sixth-inning doubleplay on a lineout.
Colts’ pitcher Wyatt Akins shut out the Braves on six hits. The Braves threatened in the fourth inning when Townshend Kurth and Jesus Bujanda singled. But Akins retired Hall, Eduardo Bujanda and Brayden Powell to work out of trouble. Riley Smith and Brayden Powell hit into doubleplays.
PRATT 11, LARNED 2 — Pratt scored five unearned runs to cruise past rival Larned. Pratt scored four runs on wild pitches and passed balls and a fifth run on an error.
Larned prevented a shutout in the fifth inning when Brayden Rupp scored on an error and Carson Smith scored on a passed ball. Smith and Herter singled.
CHIEFS 11, LARNED 0
GB Chiefs 340 4 — 11 10 0
Larned 000 00 — 0 2 3
Bieker, Jerke (3) and Maneth. Barger, Perez (2), Lemuz (4) and Burris. W—Bieker. L—Barger. 2B—GB—B. Smith 2; L—Herter. 3B—GB—Chance Perry.
COLTS 4, BRAVES 0
GB Braves 000 000 0 — 0 6 3
Hutchinson 000 040 x — 4 9 0
Jesus Bujanda and Hall. Akins and Korey Holmberg. W—Akins. L—J. Bujanda.
PRATT 11, LARNED 2
Pratt 203 33 — 11 5 1
Larned 000 02 — 2 2 3
Lamatsch an Huber. Herter, Smith (3), Fitzpatrick (4) and Burris. W—Lamatsch. L—Herter. 2B—P—Studer.
CHIEFS CLASSIC
POOL A—Great Bend Chiefs 2-0, Pratt 1-1, Larned 0-2
POOL B—Russell 2-0, Hutchinson 1-1, Great end Braves 0-2
GREAT BEND SPORTS COMPLEX
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Hutchinson Colts 4, Great Bend Braves 0
Pratt11, Larned 2
Russell 6, Hutchinson 4, 9 innings
Great Bend Chiefs 11, Larned 0
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend Chiefs 6, Pratt 4
Russell 11, Great Bend Braves 8
Pratt vs. Great Bend Braves
Hutchinson vs. Larned
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Game 9—9 a.m.—5th-place game
Game 10—11:30 a.m.—Russell vs. Pratt-Great Bend Braves winner
Game 11—2 p.m.—Great Bend Chiefs vs. Hutchinson-Larned winner
Game 12—4:30 p.m.—3rd-place game
Game 13—7 p.m.—Championship game
