BJ’s Hold Off Goldpanners

Mike Hargrove became the third person associated with the Liberal Bee Jays to be inducted into the NBC Hall of Fame. He joined Bob Cerv and Ron Guidry in the exclusive club and gave a brief speech Saturday night before the Bee Jays played the Midnight Sun Goldpanners. The BJ’s won the game 6-5.

“Anytime you are elected to something like this it means a lot,” Hargrove said. “It’s a tremendous honor. I don’t think it’s anything you hope to achieve because it seems so far out of grasp. Baseball people hold the NBC in high regard. It’s a tremendous honor.”

The BJ’s then played the Midnight Sun Goldpanners in an exhibition game. The Jays used 12 pitchers in a 6-5 win. The Bee Jays scored one in the first, two in the fourth, two in the sixth, and one in the eighth. The Goldpanners made things interesting in the ninth scoring three runs with the winning run in scoring position with one out. Wichita State’s Mitch Caster earned his second save to preserve the win. Caster also went 3-4 with an RBI to lead the Bee Jays offensively. Pepperdine’s Torrey Jacoby went 2-3 in the win. Liberal is 29-18 while the Midnight Sun Goldpanners are 12-12.

Liberal opens the NBC Tournament Tuesday night at 7:30 against the San Diego Waves. If the Bee Jays win, they play Friday night. It they lose, they play Wednesday morning at 8:00 AM. The BJ games will air on Talkradio 1270 and kscb.net.