By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Monarchs took two games from the Great Bend Bat Cats.
Friday, the Hutchinson Monarchs defeated the Great Bend Bat Cats 2-1 Friday night in Great Bend.
Saturday night on Cancer Awareness Night in front of 570 fans, the Monarchs defeated the Bat Cats 9-5. It was the eighth-largest crowd in Monarchs history.
The Monarchs improved to 9-1, two games ahead of 7-3 Great Bend. Hutchinson is in first place in the Jayhawk Collegiate League standings.
The Monarchs got a strong effort from starting pitcher Ethan Giesbrecht to defeat the Great Bend Bat Cats Saturday night.
Giesbrecht earned the win for Hutchinson. In six innings, he allowed just two runs on four hits, struck out two and walked one. Great Bend starter Carson Bougher got the loss.
Hutchinson posted a three-run third inning and got a two-run homer by Jackson Legg in the fifth. Legg also had an RBI single. The Monarchs added a three-run eighth, capitalizing on a hit-by-pitch, a walk, a wild pitch and a fielder’s choice.
Five different Monarchs were hit by pitches in the game. Two Bat Cats were also hit by pitches.
Hutchinson’s Tyson Vassart singled with one out in the top of the eighth inning Friday, scoring Keegan Demmer and AJ Mustow.
The Monarchs outhit Great Bend 11-4 Friday night.
Carson Gonzales started on the mound for the Monarchs, and he threw four hitless innings. Riley Dickey earned the win by giving up a run on three hits in 3 1/3 efficient innings. Russell Copous pitched a five-out save.
Hutchinson played a makeup game Sunday night against the Derby Twins in Derby.
Hutchinson will play at Kingman on Monday night. The next home game for the Monarchs will be 7 p.m. Tuesday against the Kingman Islanders.