BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The charmed life of Julio Heredia continues for the Great Bend Bat Cats. Heredia maintained a 0.00 ERA with five strikeouts to spark an 11-4 victory over the Kansas Cannons Tuesday. Heredia escaped a bases-loaded eighth-inning situation by striking out Hunter Alvord.
The Bat Cats (10-6, 9-6 Jayhawk) have swept three games from the Kansas Cannons (14-6, 12-5 Jayhawk).
BAT CATS 11, CANNONS 4 – After trailing 4-0, the Bat Cats scored 11 runs on 12 singles and 10 walks. Chayse Gruber (1-0) Heredia and Kade Goeke combined for 42/3 scoreless innings.
Great Bend native Gruber escaped Carson Sowell's bases-loaded jam. First baseman Cooper Smith caught a pop fly by the fence. Center fielder Anthony Capobianco caught Alvord's bases-loaded fly ball. Shortstop Jesse Ponce and second baseman Joey Marker combined for a pair of double-play groundballs.
The Cannons led 4-0. Lane Haworth hit an RBI first-inning single.
Mason Wray and Zeb Henry hit RBI singles in a 3-run second inning. Mike Williamson scored on the wildest play of the summer. With runners on first and second, Capobianco appeared to catch a fly ball by Christian Carus before dropping the baseball. Williamson scored from second base after properly tagging up. The base umpire signaled a "safe sign," before pointing to first base with an "out," gesture creating chaos. Wray, starting at first base, never tagged, but was ruled safe at second base. Henry followed with an RBI single for a 4-0 lead.
Garrett Ninness delivered a 2-run single to finish a 5-run third inning. Smith, Christian Ammann and Capobianco drew bases-loaded walks. Smith's 2-run single drove in Marker and Ponce in the fourth inning.
Ninness scored on an error and Ponce hit an RBI single in the fifth inning. Ammann homered in the sixth inning. Ian George delivered an RBI single in the eighth inning.
MONARCHS 10, BAT CATS 3 – The vintage "Black Bat" uniforms didn't work.
Defending NBC World Series champion Hutchinson roared past the Great Bend "Black" Cats 10-3 in Monday's rescheduled Jayhawk League baseball showdown. The Monarchs (12-5, 11-5 Jayhawk) move into third place.
Julio Heredia maintained his 0.00 ERA with three strikeouts while recording four outs.
Southpaw starter Parker Volski (1-2) was poised to escape a first-inning jam. But Volski's perfect pickoff attempt on Brett Smajstrla was foiled when first baseman Cooper Smith was unable to throw to second base in time.
The Monarchs took advantage for a 3-run first inning and coasted past the Bat Cats 10-3. Monarchs Jaden Gustafson and Nicky Sackett homered. Austin Coyle, Jarrett Flaggert and Sackett each drove in two runs.
Great Bend was held hitless for four innings. Jesse Ponce's single drove in Kade Goeke and broke up Cole Toureau's no-hitter. Garrett Ninness singled in Ian George and Kyle Walker for a 2-run sixth inning off reliever Carson Cornelius.
Bat Cat Cooper Smith hit into a pair of double plays. Center fielder Smajstrla relayed Smith's fly ball to double up Ponce at first base. Smith's ninth-inning groundball turned into a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Coyle and Flaggert delivered first-inning RBIs and Smajstrla scored on a wild pitch. Coyle tripled home Cooper Harris and scored on a third-inning groundout for a 5-0 lead.
Gustafson's homer made it 6-1. Blake Bradford hit a sixth-inning RBI. Flaggert's sacrifice fly was followed by Sackett's 2-run seventh-inning homer for a 10-3 final.
Cannons 130 00 000 – 4 8 1
GB Bat Cats 005 221 01x – 11 12 0
Gottl, Bingesser (3), Willett (5) and Wray. Sowell, Gruber (5), Heredia (7), Goeke (9) and George. W–Gruber, 1-0. L–Gottl, 1-1. 2B–KC–Diggins. HR–GB–Ammann.
GB Bat Cats 000 012 000 – 3 5 3
Hutchinson 302 011 30x – 10 7 0
Volski, Bougher (3), Stuhlsatz (6), Heredia (7) and George. Toureau, Carson Cornelius (6), Scott (8) and Harris. W–Toureau. L–Volski, 1-2. 2B–GB–Creel; DK–Smith. 3B–H–Coyle. HR–H–Gustafson, Sackett.
JAYHAWK COLLEGIATE
Haysville Aviators 13-4 14-5
Kansas Cannons 12-5 14-6
Hutchinson Monarchs 11-5 12-5
Derby Twins 10-6 11-6
GB Bat Cats 9-6 10-6
Kingman Islanders 6-10 6-10
Wichita Dirtbags 3-10 3-10
Diamond Kings 3-10 3-10
Newton Rebels 3-14 3-14
THURSDAY–Bat Cats 14, Junction City 1; Derby 8, Haysville 0
FRIDAY—Haysville 12, Derby 0; Newton 13, Kingman 8; Cannons 6, Monarchs 2
SATURDAY–Bat Cats 10-13, Diamond Kings 2-7; Cannons 16, Dirtbags 3; Haysville 6, Newton 4; Derby 15, Dodge City 6; Monarchs 15, Kingman 2
SUNDAY–Hutchinson 3, Kingman 2; Cannons 5, Dirtbags 1
MONDAY–Hutchinson 10, Bat Cats 3; Haysville 11, Newton 10
TUESDAY–Bat Cats 11, Cannons 4; Dirtbags at Kingman; Hutchinson 13, Haysville 8; Derby 19, Newton 1
WEDNESDAY–Bat Cats at Cannons; Dirtbags at Kingman; Haysville at Hutchinson; Derby at Newton
