A Bee Jay Bummer in the NBC Opener

In the opening game of pool play at the NBC World Series, the Liberal Bee Jays lost 5-4 to the Everett, Washington Merchants Saturday evening at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita.  The Bee Jays are 0-1 in pool play with two games to go which they must win to make Friday’s quarterfinals of the NBC.

Everett was the home team.  Liberal placed runners on first and second with no outs in the first and did not score.  Everett scored in the bottom of the inning.  The B.J.’s tied it in the second when Trent Maloney singled and stole a base and scored on a Zac Cook sacrifice fly.  Liberal took the lead when Garrett Scott singled and stole a base  and scored on a Colton Onstott single.  The Bee Jays lost the game in the third.  An Everett hitter reached on a lead off error.  Then an infield hit, then a bunt hit in which no one was covering first.  That costly start jump started the Pacific International League’s Merchants to a 4-2 lead.  The B.J.’s scored in the sixth when Kyle Schmidt tripled to left and scored on a Cook sac fly for a 4-3 score.  The Merchants scored an insurance run in the eighth for a 5-3 lead.  With one out in the ninth, the Bee Jays mounted a rally.  Marcus Shoemaker and Scott walked.  Jaron Robinson doubled to shallow right center to score a run.  The Bee Jays had runners on second and third with one out.  A walk to Onstott loaded the bases with one out.  But the next two hitters were retired to end the game.

Sam Beattie pitched six innings allowing four runs but only two were earned.  Beattie had five strikeouts, two walks, and he allowed nine hits. Chance Carner took the loss pitching two innings allowing a run on five hits.

Liberal is 31-14-1 and faces the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League’s Colorado Cyclones Monday afternoon at 2:30 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita.  The game airs on 1270 and kscbnews.net.  The Bee Jays will then face the Kansas Stars on Wednesday.  Liberal must win Monday to stay alive in a hunt for a sixth NBC title.  The Stars held off the Cyclones 3-2 Saturday night.