EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
After the first game of the season against the Liberal Rattlers was rained out, the Bee Jays opened the summer with a game against the Gameday Angels Friday at Brent Gould Field.
Drew Gartman led the Bee Jays with three hits in an 8-5 win.
Liberal took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first before the Angels before the Angels rallied for a pair of runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead.
The Angels stretched the lead to 3-1 in the top of the third before the Bee Jays took advantage of a Gameday error in the bottom of the third to score two runs for a 3-3 tie.
The Angels regained the lead with a solo home run in the top of the fifth, but the Bee Jays pushed three runs across the plate in the bottom half of the frame with a two-RBI single from Kaden Isola and an RBI groundout from Seth Green.
Liberal added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning, and the Angels only managed to push one run across the plate in the ninth, and the Bee Jays started the season with an 8-5 win.
Brooks Kappelmann started on the mound for the Bee Jays and allowed three runs on four hits in two innings while striking out three and walking two.
Bee Jay relievers combined to only allow two runs in seven innings on five hits and nine walks while striking out 10.
Saturday night’s game with the Angels was rained out which made Sunday’s game a league game.
The Bee Jays used a 10-run fifth inning to put the game on ice in a 15-5 run-rule win.
Cole Manuel had a hot day at the plate with three hits and eight RBIs including a grand slam in the fifth.
Liberal took an early 1-0 lead in the first and added three more in the third before the Angels cut the lead to 4-2 in the fourth and added another run in the fifth while having the bases loaded.
The Angels avoided the run rule after the first half of the seventh by scoring two runs in the top half of the frame, but Liberal pushed the walk-off run across in the bottom of the seventh for the 15-5 win.
The Bee Jays traveled to Dodge City Monday and fell 11-7.
Liberal returns to Brent Gould Field Wednesday
