BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Great Bend Chiefs coach Mike Perry was weighing his options when pitcher Brayden Smith delivered an answer.
He said, ‘Give me the ball and I’ll finish the game,’ ” Perry said.
Lefthander Smith rode to the rescue, leading his team to a 6-3 Chiefs Classic championship game baseball victory over Russell Sunday at the Great Bend Sports Complex. Russell (12-7) had beaten the Chiefs four times.
Smith worked four innings in relief of starter Logan Perry. Emporia State University signee Smith has been medically cleared to pitch after recovering from shoulder issues.
“It feels outstanding to be on the mound again,” Smith said. “It makes me happy. It’s great to contribute to the team. I relied on my catcher Jared Maneth.”
The Chiefs (11-10) won four games and defeated the Hutchinson Colts 6-4 to qualify for Sunday’s championship game.
“Winning four games and winning your own tournament gives us confidence,” Perry said. “We had timely hitting and turned double plays. Our pitchers performed when they had to.”
Perry credits catcher Jared Maneth, a Barton Community College backstop, for delivering leadership.
“It’s a nice luxury to see Jared call pitches and keep the game under control,” Perry said. “He’s our captain — he peps everybody up.”
• CHIEFS 6, RUSSELL 3 — The Chiefs started fast when Konner Ireland walked and Smith doubled in the first inning. Ireland scored on Jared Maneth’s sacrifice fly. Smith scored on Koy Brack’s sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead.
Russell’s Brandon Ridgley scored on a second-inning balk by Logan Perry.
The Chiefs overcame three innings when Russell’s first two runners reached base. Second baseman Brack turned a Brady Dinkel liner into a first-inning double play. Logan Perry picked off Chase Prester in the second inning.
In the fourth inning, Smith retired Kade Evans on a sacrifice bunt, struck out Walker Braun and retired Kyle Farmer on a popout. Ridgely and Austin Dale drew back-to-back fourth-inning walks against lefthander Logan Perry.
“It’s a nice bonus to feature two lefties back-to-back,” Perry said.
Cory Burnham singled home Logan Perry in the sixth-inning for a 3-1 lead. The Chiefs scored three valuable insurance seventh-inning runs. Maneth singled home Ireland. Logan Perry singled home Maneth. Payton Mauler singled home Logan Perry for a 6-1 lead.
Dinkel’s sacrifice fly scored Farmer and Prester scored on Rome’s groundball in the seventh inning after a walk, hit by pitch and error.
• CHIEFS 6, COLTS 4 (semifinal) — The Chiefs, trailing 3-0, rallied for six runs in the sixth inning after missing two golden scoring opportunities.
Logan Perry doubled home pinch runner Chance Perry and Brack’s single scored Logan Perry. After Mauler doubled. Burnham’s bunt brought home Brack and Mauler scored on Jordan Denison’s throwing error for a 4-3 lead. Zach Jacobs singled home Burnham and Ireland scored on another Denison error for a 6-3 lead.
“We found a way to pull that game out,” Perry said. “The guys had good at-bats.”
The Chiefs missed a fourth-inning scoring chance when Brack’s forceout turned into a double play on Brack’s interference running to first base when he was hit on a throw by catcher Denison. Two runs had scored when the ball bounced off Brack’s helmet.
A fifth-inning threat was stopped when Burnham was thrown out at home on Ireland’s bunt.
Wyatt Akins’ hit-by-pitch forced home Landon Dimitt in the second inning. Korey Holmberg scored on a fifth-inning error and Trenton Turner’s infield single scored Kolby Holmerg for a 3-0 lead. Austin Corwin’s single scored Turner in the seventh inning.
• LARNED 7, GREAT BEND BRAVES 5 (5th place) — Larned’s Johnathan Herter pitched four innings and drove in three runs with two singles, a double and triple.
Larned scored three runs in the first inning. Herter singled home Carson Smith. Herter scored on a steal. Brayden Rupp’s hit-by-pitch forced home Triston Burger for a 3-0 lead.
The Braves’ Haberman scored when Eduardo Bujanda walked with the bases loaded. Jesus Bujanda scored on a first-inning passed ball.
Burger doubled home Herter in the second inning. Burger singled home Herter in a two-run fifth inning. Jordan Taylor’s single scored Austin Gladow for a 6-2 lead.
Calan Haberman and Townshend Kurth scored on fifth-inning wild pitches and Colin Hall scored on Eduardo Bujanda’s groundout for a 6-5 score.
Carson Smith’s single scored Taylor in the seventh inning.
• COLTS 14, LARNED 3 (Saturday) — The Hutchinson Colts started with a five-run first inning and finished with a seven-run third inning. Kolby Holmberg and Landon Dimitt doubled home runs and Wyatt Akins, Jordan Denison and Austin Corwin delivered first-inning RBIs.
Larned’s Carson Smith scored on an error and Alex Barger singled home Herter in the first inning. Mason Perez doubled home Shevin Martin in the second inning.
CHIEFS CLASSIC
POOL A—Great Bend Chiefs 2-0, Pratt 1-1, Larned 0-2; POOL B—Russell 2-0, Hutchinson 1-1, Great Bend Braves 0-2
GREAT BEND SPORTS COMPLEX
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Championship–Great Bend Chiefs 6, Russell 3
Semifinal—Russell 11, Pratt 8
Semifinal—Great Bend Chiefs 6, Hutchinson Colts 4
5th-place—Larned 7, Great Bend Braves 5
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend Chiefs 6, Pratt 4
Russell 11, Great Bend Braves 8
Pratt 10, Great Bend Braves 9
Hutchinson 14, Larned 3
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
CHIEFS 6, RUSSELL 3
CHIEFS ab r h rbi
Konner Ireland 2 2 0 0
Brayden Smith 4 1 1 0
Jared Maneth 3 1 1 2
Logan Perry 3 2 2 1
Koy Brack 2 0 1 1
Payton Mauler 4 0 2 1
Cory Burnham 4 0 1 1
Brice Kaiser 2 0 1 0
Dalton Bieker 3 0 0 0
Totals 27 6 9 6
GB Chiefs 200 001 3 — 6 9 1
Russell 010 000 2 — 3 5 4
Logan Perry, Smith (4) and Maneth. Prester and Dinkel. W—Smith. L—Prester. 2B—Smith. E—Braun, Prester, Ridgeley, Dinkel. SF—Maneth, Brack. SB—Mauler, L. Perry. HP—Ireland, Prester. CS—Prester. Balk—L. Perry 2. DP—Russell 2, Chiefs 1.
Chiefs ip r er h so bb
LPerry 3 1 1 3 4 1
Smith 4 2 1 2 1 1
Russell ip r er h so bb
Prester 7 6 3 9 1 4
CHIEFS 6, COLTS 4
CHIEFS ab r h rbi
Konner Ireland 2 2 0 0
Brayden Smith 4 1 1 0
Jared Maneth 3 1 1 2
Logan Perry 3 2 2 1
Koy Brack 2 0 1 1
Payton Mauler 4 0 2 1
Cory Burnham 4 0 1 1
Brice Kaiser 2 0 1 0
Dalton Bieker 3 0 0 0
Totals 28 6 9 6
Hutchinson 010 020 1 — 4 5 4
GB Chiefs 000 006 x — 6 9 3
Turner and Denison. Bender, Jacobs (2), Ireland (7) and Maneth. W—Jacobs. L—Turner. 2B—GB—Mauler, Logan Perry, Corwin. SB—Ireland 2, Chance Perry. Korey Holmberg. CS—Chance Perry. DP—Colts 1, Chiefs 1. E—Denison 3, Brack 2, Ireland, Kolby Holmberg. WP—Turner. HP—Biehler, Akins. LOB—Colts 10, Chiefs 5.
Colts ip r er h so bb
Turner 6 6 6 9 1 2
Chiefs ip r er h so bb
Bender 1.2 1 1 3 0 2
Jacobs 3.0 3 1 2 3 3
Ireland 0.1 0 0 1 0 0
LARNED 7, BRAVES 5
Larned 310 020 1 — 7 11 2
Braves 200 030 0 — 5 4 1
Herter, Burger (5) and Burris. Eduardo Bujanda, Soupiset (6) and Jones. W—Herter. L—E. Bujanda. 2B—L—Herter, Burger. 3B—L—Herter.
2017 GREAT BEND CHIEFS (11-10)
LL—Russell 1-11, 3-11
LL—Russell 15-16, 4-8
LL—Wichita East 8-9, 3-13
WW—Larned 14-6, 18-3
W—Dodge City 13-5
WW—Hutchinson 10-4, 15-8
LLWL—Dodge City (Beloit 5-9, Dodge City 1-2, Pratt 11-3, Hays-TMP 8-12)
WL—Hutchinson 7-3, 7-8
WWWW—Chiefs Classic (Larned 11-0, Pratt 6-4, Hutchinson 6-4, Russell 6-3)
6-28—at Dodge City
6-30—at Pratt Tournament (Pratt, Garden City)
7-1—at Pratt Tournament
7-5—Buhler
7-13–at Class AAA Zone, Great Bend
CHIEFS ROSTER
1—Keaton Reneau RP-C-OF
6—Max Jerke RP-2B-OF
7—Jared Maneth C-1B-3B-SS
9—Brayden Smith LP-1B-RF
10—Cory Burnham RP-2B-3B-SS
11—Konner Ireland RP-SS-2B
12—Payton Mauler RP-3B-C-OF
13—Logan Perry LP-1B-RF
19—Brice Kaiser RP-1B-OF
24—Daton Bieker RP-2B-SS-OF
23—Zach Jacobs RP-C-OR-IF
25—Dalton Bender RP-3B-OF
27—Koy Brack RP-C-3B-SS-OF
Coaches—Mike Perry, Jason Perry
