Battered BJ’s Bounce Back

With several sore arms on the pitching staff and a three game losing streak, the BJ’s were in no mood to play like they did Tuesday night in a 13-2 loss. The "Boys in Blue" bounced back Wednesday with a complete effort in a 12-4 win over the El Dorado Broncos at Brent Gould Field.

Texas-Arlington’s Kasey Merck made a spot start and pitched five innings allowing three runs in improving to 2-0. Kansas State’s Jared Moore pitched two innings allowing one run and Wichita State Cale Elam closed it out with two scoreless innings.

The BJ’s started strongly with two in the first and four in the second. Liberal tacked on two in the fifth and sixth followed by single runs in the seventh and eighth.

Texas-Arlington’s Ryan Walker cleared the based and broke the game open in the second with a line drive double down the right field line scoring three runs. Nicholls State’s Blake Bergeron added an RBI single to make it 6-0. Bergeron also singled home a run in the first and San Diego’s Reyn Nagamine drove home a team leading 24th run in the first when he reached on an error.

The Broncos scored three runs on Merck in the fifth but Liberal atoned with two in the bottom of the inning when Northwood’s Eddie Arroyo drove home two runs with a single up the middle.

Lubbock Christian’s Richard Bohlken blasted his third homer of the year over the left field wall in the sixth to make it 10-4.

Walker doubled home another run in the seventh and UTA’s Greg McCall lined a double to left in the eighth to make it 12-4.

Walker was 3-5 with two doubles and four RBI’s while Bohlken was 4-5 with a homer and two RBI’s.

Liberal is 13-5 overall and 6-5 in the Jayhawk while El Dorado falls to 6-12 overall and 4-10 in the Jayhawk.

The same two teams meet Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Brent Gould Field. KSCB is the buyout sponsor. The game airs on Talkradio 1270 and kscbnews.net.