EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Liberal returned to Brent Gould Filed Sunday and Monday for a two-game series with Western Nebraska after completing a five-game road trip and came away with a sweep.
The Bee Jays started the road trip with a non-league game at Dodge City and came away with an 8-6 win.
The Bee Jays headed to Western Nebraska for a two-game set and won the first game 12-6 before dropping the second game of the series 12-7.
The Bee Jays then headed to Fort Collins, Colo., to face the Foxes and came away with a two-game sweep with a 7-2 win in Game 1 followed by an 11-4 win in Game 2.
The Bee Jays found themselves in a pitcher’s duel Sunday against Western Nebraska, and neither team scored a run through the first four innings.
Liberal’s Brooks Kappelmann took the mound in the fifth inning, and after getting the first two batters out, he allowed back-to-back hits that gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
But Kappelmann didn’t allow another run in the next three innings, and the Bee Jays came through in the seventh with three runs to take a 3-1 lead.
The Bee Jays were able to close the game out with a scoreless ninth to secure the 3-1 win.
After a classic pitcher’s duel Sunday, the Bee Jays opened the floodgates at the plate Monday, cranking out 19 runs in a 19-5 win.
Liberal started the game with four runs in the first inning followed by three more in the second for a 7-0 lead.
The Bee Jays continued to pour it on with five runs in the third and three more in the fourth for a 15-0 lead.
Liberal coach Jared Mayeda made multiple substitutions throughout the game, but that didn’t seem to slow down the Bee Jays. They continued to produce runs.
The Pioneers did find some success late in the game and was able to push five runs across the plate, but it was only a dent in the massive Bee jay lead.
Liberal moved to 8-2 on the season, 7-2 in the Rocky Mountain League. The Bee Jays trail Hays who have yet to lose a league game and will host Western Nebraska today.
The Bee Jays will take today off before hosting the Liberal Rattlers in a friendly hometown contest.
Prior to the game, Seward County Community College will be hosting a fundraiser for the Jacob Still family. SCCC will be cooking hamburgers and hotdogs prior to the game for a freewill donation, and there will be a raffle for a meat bundle.
Still was an employee of SCCC who passed away after an accident May 28.
