With 10 summer games remaining, hopefully the Great Bend Bat Cats have hit rock bottom.
The Junction City Brigade handed the Bat Cats a season-worst 13-0 beating Sunday to extend their losing streak to a season worst 3-game streak.
The fourth-place Bat Cats (14-11, 13-9 Jayhawk) has been outscored 34-13 the past three games.
JUNCTION CITY BRIGADE 13, BAT CATS 0 — Junction City Brigade pitcher Joey Ruller compiled a 2-12 career record at Queens, University, N.C. Ruller was 2-7 with an 8.71 ERA this spring.
The Atlantic Sun Conference pitcher baffled the slumping Bat Cats with six shutout innings en route to a 13-0 victory over the Bat Cats Sunday at Al Burns Memorial Field.
Ruller delivered double play inning-ending magic in the first, fourth and fifth innings.
T.J. Shaw bounced into a 6-4-3 first-inning double play. Elias Leon ended the fourth inning with a 4-3 twin killing. J.J. Fontana's groundball turned into a 5-3 inning-ending double play.
Shaw (.357) singled and doubled. Andrugh Yee and Luke Nohinek (.408) each singled.
Junction City's Peyton Firgens doubled twice and drove home four runs. Gabe Yonto doubled and drove home three runs. Former Bat Cat Kyler Horsman drove in a pair of runs. The Brigade scored six runs off starter Tyler Clementz (2-2, 4.61 ERA) and added six sixth-inning runs.
DERBY 13, BAT CATS 9 — The good news? The Great Bend Bat Cats played error-free baseball.
However, Great Bend's typically reliable pitching collapsed in a nightmarish 13-9 Jayhawk Collegiate League setback Saturday. The Bat Cats led 8-5 after 31/2 innings.
The Bat Cats delivered Home Run Derby with a 5-homer performance. Peanut Brazzle and Andrugh Yee each hit a pair of round trippers. Kyle Walker homered.
Derby outscored Great Bend 8-1 in the final 51/2 innings. Bat Cat pitchers yielded 12 earned runs, walked 10 batters and hit a trio of batters.
Derby (17-7, 15-7 Jayhawk) moves two games ahead of the Bat Cats (14-11, 13-9 Jayhawk). Great Bend is 1-5 against the top two Jayhawk teams Hutchinson (19-5, 17-5 Jayhawk) and Derby.
After a 9-9 tie in the sixth inning, Brazzle doubled and Walker walked. The rally fizzled when Brazzle was thrown out stealing. The Bat Cats loaded the bases when T.J. Shaw singled and Yee walked, but Logan Ranen struck out with the bases loaded.
The bases were loaded in the seventh inning when reliever Ryan Koob Walker and Shaw struck out.
Brazzle and Walker started the game with back-to-back homers. Brazzle batted 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Yee drove in three runs with three hits and two runs scored.
Derby's Cade Sutherland doubled, homered and drove in three runs. Noah Allison batted 4-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored.
GB Bat Cats 302 310 000 — 9 15 0
Derby Twins 401 222 11x — 13 14 4
Annin, Stuhlsatz (4), Kaiser (7) and Nohinek. Morrison, Enders (5), Koob (7), Walters (9) and Driskoll. W—Enders, 3-2. L—Stuhlsatz. 2B—GB—Brazzle, Shaw, Yee; D—Owens. HR—GB—Brazzle 2 (4, 5), Yee 2 (2, 3), Walker (1); D—Sutherland, Allison.
JC Brigade 004 206 1 — 13 13 1
GB Bat Cats 000 000 0 — 0 4 1
Ruller and Kellogg. Clementz, Khan (6), Strecker (6), French (7) and Nohinek. W—Ruller. L—Clementz, 2-2. 2B—GB—Shaw; JC—Firgens 2, Pantuso, Yonko, White, Horsman.
JAYHAWK COLLEGIATE LEAGUE
Hutchinson Monarchs 18-5 20-5
Derby Twins 15-8 17-8
Haysville Aviators 14-9 17-9
GB Bat Cats 14-9 15-11
Junction City Brigade 11-11 13-11
Kansas Cannons 10-12 12-12-1
Rose Hill Wildcats 10-13 10-13
Kingman Islanders 6-18 6-18
Newton Rebels 4-17 5-18
7-3—Derby 8, Bat Cats 4; Aviators 7, Newton 3; Wildcats 2, Kingman 1
7-5—Derby 13, Bat Cats 9; Monarchs 16, Kingman 6; Brigade 9, Cannons 0
7-6—Brigade 13, Bat Cats 0; Monarchs 5, Aviators 2
7-7—Bat Cats 7, Brigade 3; Monarchs 10, Wildcats 4, Kingman 7, Derby 6; Cannons at Dodge City
7-8—Kingman at Derby; Aviators at Monarchs; Wildcats at Newton; Hays at Cannons
7-9—Bat Cats at Monarchs; Derby at Cannons; Brigade at Aviators (2); Kingman at Newton
7-10—Monarchs at Bat Cats; Newton at Kingman; Cannons at Derby (2)
