CAPTION: Jaden Gustafson, a sophomore at Wichita State University, had three hits (including two doubles) and drove in three runs in the Hutchinson Monarchs’ 15-4 win over the Liberal Bee Jays Wednesday afternoon in a single-elimination bracket game at the National Baseball Congress World Series. CREDIT BEAU GRANT/NBCWS
By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Monarchs scored 11 runs in the top of the fifth inning and four in the seventh to beat the Liberal Bee Jays 15-4 (7 innings, run-rule) Wednesday afternoon at Wichita State University’s Eck Stadium.
The Monarchs kept their National Baseball Congress World Series repeat hopes alive after posting a 1-2 record in pool play at the 90th NBCWS.
The Monarchs improved to 30-9 and will play the Santa Barbara Foresters (Pool B winners) in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Thursday. It will be a rematch of the 2023 NBCWS championship game won by the Monarchs.
“After an exciting 15-4 win over the Liberal Bee Jays today (Wednesday), the Monarchs play tomorrow evening against the Santa Barbara Foresters,” said Marc Blackim, owner/general manager of the Hutchinson Monarchs on social media.
“We hope to see a lot of Monarch fans at Eck Stadium on the Wichita State University Campus.”
The Bee Jays jumped out to a 3-0 lead with one run in the bottom of the first and two in the third inning.
After Hutchinson’s big innings put them ahead 15-3, the Bee Jays scored one run in the bottom of the seventh inning to cut their deficit to 15-4. A strikeout ended the game on the run rule.
Hutchinson scored 15 runs on 15 hits and committed no errors. Liberal scored four runs on six hits and committed one error.
Jaden Gustafson (Wichita State University/Maize High School) had three hits (including two doubles in the 11-run fifth) and drove in three runs. Camden Johnson (Wichita State/Boerne, Texas) had three hits and drove in two runs.
Jarrett Flaggert (Wichita State/Cowley College) and Jack Gardner (Hutchinson Community College/UNO) each had two hits. Nine Monarchs scored at least one run, had at least one hit and drove in at least one run.
Kamden Edge (NOC Tokawa/Soper, Okla.), Garrett Folmar (Southeast Arkansas CC/Wichita Falls, Texas) and Reed Scott (HutchCC/UNO) shared pitching duties for the Monarchs. Liberal used four pitchers. Folmar got the victory.
In the first single-elimination bracket play game Wednesday morning, the Kansas Cannons (from Augusta) eliminated the Haysville Aviators 6-4.
The Cannons will play the Derby Twins at 9 a.m. Thursday in an elimination bracket game.
The other elimination bracket games will feature the Tulsa Sandlot-San Diego Stars winner vs. the Hays Larks at noon and the Lonestar Baseball Club North-GPS Legends winner against the Seattle Cheney Studs at 8:30 p.m.
The semifinal games will be played at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday.
The championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.