Sportszone

HIGH PLAINS

PEP TONIGHT

THURSDAY

The public is welcome to participate in A U G U S T 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

tonights Fun Run and pep assembly
that begins at 6:30 p.m. in the north
parking lot at Liberal High School

8A

Bee Jays

end
with a

win

Kyle Knauth rounds the bases against the Kansas

Stars Monday. Knauth and the Bee Jays ended
the NBC World Series Wednesday with an 11-0
win over Sterling, Colo., Xpress to finish the
tournament appearance with a 5-2 record. L&T
photo/Earl Watt

Bee Jays go out with 11-0 romp over Xpress

By EARL WATT
Leader &Times
The Liberal Bee Jays ended the season
with authority, pounding the Sterling,
Colo., Xpress 11-0 in a five-inning run rule
win to end their NBC World Series run
with a 5-2 record.
Reid Petty earned the win, pitching four
shutout innings and only allowing two hits.
Cale ODonnell started the scoring
frenzy in the second inning by leading off
with a double and moving to third when
Cody Bogart singled.
Bogart stole second, and with two outs,
Donny Ortiz hit a single to center field that
scored ODonnell and Bogart.
Liberal blew the game open in the third
with six runs that started with an error that
allowed Jaron Robinson to reach, and after
a walk to Kyle Knauth, ODonnell hit a
single that scored Robinson.
Sterling looked to end the damage with a
double play, but a walk to Blake Jenkins and
two passed balls allowed Owen Taylor to hit
a single that scored Jenkins.
Ortiz walked, and Brandon Urquizo
singled to score Taylor.
Luke Reinschmidt singled, and Ortiz and
Urquizo scored, giving the Bee Jays six runs

NBC
WORLD SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIP
WEEK

WEDNESDAYS GAMES
Liberal Bee Jays 11, Sterling,
Colo., Xpress 0
Seattle Studs 5, San Diego Force
4
NJCAA All Americans 11, Kansas
Stars 10
Dodge City As 6, Valley Center
Diamond Dawgs 4

QUARTERFINALS

2 p.m. Santa Barbara Foresters

vs. Northwest Honkers
4:30 p.m. Hays Larks vs.
Fairbanks Goldpanners
7 p.m. Seattle Studs vs. Kansas
Stars
9:30 p.m. NJCAA All Americans
vs. San Diego Force

The Liberal Bee Jays celebrate in the first inning against the Kansas Stars Monday after scoring two runs in the first inning to take an ealry
lead. Wednesday, the Bee Jays routed the Sterling, Colo., Xpress 11-0. L&T photo/Earl Watt
in the inning and an 8-0 lead.
Liberal continued to pour on the offense
in the fifth.
Reinschmidt led off with a walk, and after
Robinson grounded out, Knauth walked,
but an error on the catcher allowed

Reinschmidt to score, and another miscue

on the play allowed Knauth to score.
ODonnell hit a double, and a Jenkins
single allowed him to score to give the Bee
Jays an 11-0 lead.
Bee Jay manager Carlos Lezcano

relieved Petty with Andrew Schwulst who

gave up a hit but didnt allow a run, and the
Bee Jays earned the 11-0 run-rule win.
Liberal ended the season 26-24 overall,
and the Bee Jays put together a 5-2 run at
the NBC World Series.

JAYHAWK LEAGUE
AT THE NBC

Hays
Liberal
El Dorado
Haysville
Dodge City
OVERALL

3-0
5-2
2-1
1-2
1-2

12-7

Pool play format needs to go, this way is better

4&
th

GOAL

EARLWATT

Every game Tuesday and Wednesday at the

NBC was useless and unnecessary thanks to
pool play.
Every match-up featured teams that already
qualified playing a meaningless game and
teams that were winless playing a meaningless
game with no chance to advance.
For two days.
A high-stakes tournament meant to
determine a national champion is far beyond
the little league pool play model where
everyone gets to play.
Every game should matter and have
consequences and rewards.
Pool play does not provide that opportunity,
and the last two days prove that.
The NBC World Series is a great event, and
bringing in the ex Major Leaguers was a great
draw.
Now lets create a format that matches the
calibre of competition, and heres how you do
it:

Week 1

First, calling this the First Week is just silly. It

should be called Advance Week or Play-In
Week.
Return the first week to a bracket, but allow
the top four teams to advance, both teams from
the winners bracket, and the final two teams
with one loss each in the losers bracket.
Look at the Park City Rangers. One bad
inning in Week 1 where the Bee Jays rallied in
the ninth to win 8-7 was the only loss for the
Rangers, and they were done. They should have
had the chance to remain in the tournament,
something pool play does not allow.
How many games does my format take?
Exactly the same as the pool format 26
games.

Championship Week

Those four advancing to join 12 automatic

bids only reduces the overall number of teams

from 30 to 28.
Now, give the overall No. 1 and No. 2 seeds
a bye in the first round, and the two teams that
advance from the losers bracket will go on the
loser side of those two games on the
championship week bracket, maintaining that
the tourney is still a double elimination tourney
including the first week.
Because of those byes, the total number of
games in a pure double elimination bracket will
be 28 games, three less than the current pool
format that takes 31 games.
The match-ups will also be more competitive.
Teams that win will play better teams, teams
that lose will play other teams that lost,
providing more fan-friendly competitive games.
Because of poor pool play match-ups, 22 of
the 50 games played so far ended by run rule.
To entice fans, keep costs low and encourage
teams, the double elimination bracket in both
weeks accompanied by four teams advancing
will provide the right incentive and the
legitimacy the NBC deserves.

South volleyball
meetings set
L&T staff report
South Apache eighth grade
volleyball will have a players only
meeting at 3:30 p.m. today in the
South gym.
The seventh grade will have a
players and parents meeting at 6 p.m.
Friday in the South gym. All players
must attend the meeting before they
can play.