Lefthander shuts down Chiefs
BY JIM MISUNAS
Hays-Thomas More Prep lefthander Cole Zimmerman achieved a simple game plan – keep striking out Great Bend Chiefs.
Zimmerman struck out a baker’s dozen to power the Monarchs past the Chiefs 5-1 in Saturday’s opener for Great Bend in the Chiefs’ Baseball Classic. Zimmerman helped the Monarchs reach the 3A state title game this spring when they lost to Sabetha.
The Chiefs (12-7) play Dodge City at 4:45 p.m. Sunday and Hoisington at 7 p.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
Zimmerman worked five innings and yielded three balls in play – a double and a groundout by Jesus Bujanda and a bloop single by Calan Haberman. Bujanda’s fifth-inning double turned into an untimely out when rightfielder Gavin Schumacher threw him out at third base.
The Monarchs scored three second-inning runs off starter Colin Hall. Adam Gottschalk singled home Creighton Renz and Zimmerman and Gottschalk scored on a two-out error for two unearned runs.
“We started out flat today, and if you don’t show up to play it’s going to be a challenge,” said Chiefs coach Travis Kurth. “Colin didn’t throw too bad. But we’ve got to play solid defense.”
Hall threw solidly into the fifth inning when Lance Ruder forced home a run on a hit batter and Zimmerman’s groundout drove home Gavin Schumacher. Chiefs first baseman Jesus Bujanda alertly threw out Chase Werth at home plate to end the inning.
The Chiefs scored a sixth-inning run off reliever Carlos Schwindt when Nahum Olivas’ bloop single scored Riley Smith after a single and a walk to Joey Soupiset.
Hays-TMP 030 020 0 – 5 8 0
GB Chiefs 000 001 0 – 1 4 1
Zimmerman, Schwindt (6) and Renz. Hall and Eduardo Bujanda. W--Zimmerman. L—Hall. 2B—GB—Jesus Bujanda.
CHIEFS 11, LARNED 1 – The Chiefs scored nine first-inning runs to roll to a run-rule victory. Brice Kaiser and Eduardo Bujanda delivered two-run doubles and Townshend Kurth added a two-run single. Kurth, Calan Haberman and Jesus Bujanda added RBIs off starter Trevor Coulson and reliever Logan Pleasant. Larned contributed back-to-back errors to start the game.
Riley Smith scored on a groundout by Jesus Bujanda and Kurth scored on Colin Hall’s infield single in a two-run third inning. Riley Smith struck out the side in the fourth inning to earn the victory.
Larned’s Carson Smith scored on Zack Jacobs’ third-inning groundout to break up the shutout.
GB Chiefs 902 0 – 11 8 2
Larned 001 0 – 1 3 4
Jesus Bujanda, Eduardo Bujanda (2), Smith (3) and Hall. Coulson, Pleasant (1), Rupp (3) and Smith. W—Smith. L—Coulson. 2B—GB—Brice Kaiser, E. Bujanda; L—Perez.
