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Larned beats Newton for Babe Ruth title
Larned to be site of Babe Ruth State
larned team
The Larned Indians Babe Ruth baseball team beat Newton 15-2 to capture the District 4 championship. Larned will play at 8 p.m. Friday at Moffet Stadium in the 14-and-under Babe Ruth State Tournament. The Larned Babe Ruth baseball team features front row, Carlos Ibarra, Trevor Bartz, Jacob Grosfield, Gatlin Hoch, Gunnar Cline, Colin LaBouchardiere; back row, head coach Kyle LeRoy, Christian Murray, Kaden Pontious, Aidan Smyth, Braden Lothman, Jack Stelter, Logan Erway, Luke Wilson; coach Jaeson Cline and coach Chad Erway. Dillan Smith missed the team photo with an ankle injury.

BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

LARNED —Larned’s Logan Erway drove in three runs and pitcher Christian Murray struck out nine batters to spark the Indians past Newton 15-2 for the Babe Ruth District 4 baseball championship. Larned scored in all five innings.
Larned (19-9) will play at 8 p.m. Friday in its opening game of the Babe Ruth 14-and-under state baseball tournament at Larned’s Moffet Stadium. Tournament stats will be available online (https://gc.com/g/14uksbaberuth)
World Series Hall of Famer Ralph Terry from the New York Yankees will entertain the Babe Ruth players at 7 p.m. Thursday at the State Theatre. The movie “Sandlot” will be shown.

LARNED 15, NEWTON 2 — Jack Stelter doubled home Aidan Smyth and scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead. Carlos Ibarra singled home Kaden Pontious and Ibarra scored on Colin LaBouchardiere’s groundout for a 4-0 lead after two innings.
Stelter scored on a fielder’s choice and Erway scored on Luke Wilson’s groundout. Jacob Grosfield’s single scored Pontious for a 7-0 lead after three inning.
Erway’s started a five-run fourth inning with a double that scored Smyth and Stelter. Braden Lothman scored on a wild pitch. Dillan Smith scored on Ibarra’s groundout. Grosfield’s single scored Pontious for a 12-0 lead. Erway, Gunnar Cline and Pontious scored on wild pitches for a 15-0 lead.
Newton’s Trev Gobulski and Braiden Botterweck delivered fifth-inning RBIs to spoil Murray’s shutout.

LARNED 12, MID-KANSAS 6 – Larned’s 14-and-under baseball team outscored the Mid-Kansas All-Stars 12-6 Saturday to qualify for the District 4 Babe Ruth finals. Larned shut out Newton 6-0 in the District opener. Larned took advantage of 10 walks and solid baserunning to ease past the Mid-Kansas All-Stars Saturday.
Larned’s Carlos Ibarra batted home the only run via a base hit. Larned scored 11 runs on four wild pitches, a walk, two hit by pitches, a balk, a groundout, an error and a stolen base.

NEWTON 2, GREAT BEND 1 – Newton’s eliminated Great Bend when Braiden Bottenweck’s RBI single scored Trev Gobulski with the game-winning run with two out. Gobulski’s RBI single scored Gray off hatrd-luck losing pitcher Jace Kohls who struck out 13 batters.
Joe Moeder walked and scored Great Bend’s fourth-inning run after a single by Kyle Feist. Sam Hall and Joe Moeder each had two hits.

LARNED 6, NEWTON 0 – Larned pitcher Aidan Smyth threw a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts.
Dillan Smith’s bunt scored Logan Erway in the third inning. Colin LaBachardiere’s bunt scored Gunnar Cline in the fourth inning. Jacob Grosfield’s single scored Luke Wilson in the fifth inning. Smyth scored on a pitch and Erway scored on a sixth-inning error. Wilson’s single scored Dillan Smith for a 6-0 lead.

GREAT BEND 3, COTTONWOOD VALLEY 0 – Jace Kohls and Joe Moeder combined for a four-hit shutout. Pitcher Joe Moeder and shortstop Jace Kohls combined for a seventh-inning doube play.
Kohls scored on Sam Hall’s second-inning groundout. Jayson Effertz scored on a third-inning error. Kyle Feist’s single scored Joe Moeder in the sixth inning for a 3-0 victory.

MID-KANSAS 12, GREAT BEND 2 – Mid-Kansas overpowered Great Bend with seven hits. Joe Moeder’s single scored Effertz in the first inning. Kohls scored on a second-inning wild pitch.

DISTRICT 4 BABE RUTH
Great Bend 3, Cottonwood Valley 0
Larned 6, Newton 0
Mid Kansas 12, Great Bend 2
Newton 15, Cottonwood Valley 9
Newton 2, Great Bend 1
Larned 12, Mid Kansas 6
Newton 14, Mid-Kansas 0
Larned 15, Newton 2

LARNED 15, NEWTON 2
Larned 223 53 — 15 10 2
Newton 000 02 — 2 7 3
Murray and Stelter. Loomis, Akers (4), Maxwell (5), Gobluski (5) and Maxwell, Gray, Loomis. W—Murray. L—Loomis. 2B—L—Erway 2, Stelter.

LARNED 12, MID-KANSAS 6
Mid-Kansas 500 100 0 – 6 11 2
Larned 311 151 x – 12 5 3
Wohgemuth, Considine (2), O’Halloran (3), Isaac (4), Swift (5) and Mueller, Enge. Smith and Stelter. W—Smith. L—O’Halloran. 2B—MK—Considine 2, Carey 2.

MID KANSAS 12, GREAT BEND 2
GB 110 000 – 2 2 6
MK 142 131 – 12 7 0
Guesner, Feist (3), effertz (6) and M. Moeder. Humphreys, Considine (3), Wohlgemuth (6) and Mueller, Enge. W--Considine. L—Guesner. 2B—GB—Kohls; MK—Leinbach, Wohlgemuth.

LARNED 6, NEWTON 0
Newton 000 000 0 – 0 2 3
Larned 001 113 x – 6 6 0
Schmidt and Musser. Smyth and Stelter. W—Smyth. L—Schmidt. 2B—L—Erway, Stelter; 3B—L—Erway.

GREAT BEND 3, C. VALLEY 0
CV 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
GB 011 001 x – 3 3 1
Littrell, Prieb (3), Collins (6) and Huff. Kohls, J. Moeder (7) and M. Moeder. W--Kohls. L—Littrell.

BABE RUTH 14 STATE
AT LARNED, MOFFET STADIUM
AMERICAN POOL— Clearwater, Girard, Newton 
NATIONAL POOL—Larned, Finney County, wild card

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Game 1, noon—Girard vs. Clearwater
Game 2, 2:30 p.m.—Finney County vs. wild card
Game 3, 5 p.m.—Newton vs. loser game 1
Game 4, 8 p.m.—Larned vs. loser game 2 

SATURDAY’S GAMES
Game 5, noon—Newton vs. winner game 1
Game 6, 2:30 p.m.—Larned vs. winner game 2
Game 7, 5 p.m.—No. 2 National vs. No. 3 Amercian
Game 8, 7:30 p.m.—No. 2 National vs. No. 3 American

SUNDAY’S GAMES
Game 9, noon—No. 1 American vs. winner game 7
Game 10, 2:30 p.m.— No. 1 National vs. winner game 8
Game 11, 6 p.m.—Winners games 9, 10