Monarchs Sweep Bat Cats With Dominant 11-1 Victory
GREAT BEND, Kan. — The Hutchinson Monarchs completed a two-game sweep of the Great Bend Bat Cats with an 11-1 victory on Thursday night, a game called in the sixth inning due to inclement weather, one night after a dramatic walk-off win at home.
The Monarchs improved to 23-5 and maintained their 4.5-game lead over the Derby Twins with six games remaining in the regular season.
Hutchinson's offensive explosion began early, scoring in the first inning on Joey Senstock's sacrifice fly that brought home JJ Spafford. The Monarchs broke the game open with a two-out rally in the third inning, highlighted by Jackson Legg's triple and Jake Knox's RBI single, before Spafford delivered a two-run double to make it 4-0.
The fourth inning proved decisive as Hutchinson scored six runs to put the game away. Tyson Vassart drove in two with a double to center field, and Legg added another two-RBI double to stretch the lead to 8-0. Spafford capped the inning with what initially appeared to be a two-run single, but a fielding error allowed a third run to score.
Spafford finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored to lead the 14-hit attack. Jeter Worthley also contributed three hits, going 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Pryce Bender earned the victory on the mound, working 4.1 innings and allowing one run while striking out three and walking four. Daegan Vinduska recorded the final two outs of the fifth inning to preserve the 10-run advantage.
Great Bend (15-12) managed just one run, avoiding the shutout in the fifth inning on Luke Nohinek's groundout.
The victory capped a dominant two-game series for Hutchinson, which had defeated Great Bend 3-2 in a walk-off thriller Wednesday night at Hobart-Detter Field. Jake Knox delivered the game-winning two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring Drew Bugner and Dylan Bell to complete a comeback from a 2-1 deficit. Knox's clutch hit came on a 2-2 count after fouling off two pitches, capping a dramatic finish that saw the Monarchs rally against Great Bend reliever C. Kunz.
The Monarchs will travel to Kingman on tonight to face the Islanders before returning home to Hobart-Detter Field on Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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