The Boulder Collegians topped the Liberal Bee Jays 7-6 Thursday night at Brent Gould Field. Boulder built a 7-3 lead and then held on to even the two game series. The Bee Jays stranded 13 runners on base in the loss.
The Bee Jays scored two in the second. Cole Manuel led off the second with a double down the left field line. Noah Giovanelli then singled. After back to back walks, Josiah Rojas walked with the bases loaded. Liberal scored a second run on a double play. Boulder scored a third inning run. Liberal scored in the bottom of the third to lead 3-1. Drew Gartman rolled an RBI double down the third base line. Boulder’s bats perked up with a three run fourth and a three run fifth to lead 7-3. The B.J.’s scored two in the fifth to make it 7-5. William Bologna lined a lead off single to center. Ben Finnegan roped an RBI triple off the wall in right. Finnegan scored on a Noah Giovanelli single to center. Liberal crept closer with a one run sixth. Trenton Uyeda led off the sixth with a single. Bologna tripled past the diving center fielder to score Uyeda. But Bologna never scored despite two walks in the inning. Liberal stranded the bases loaded down one. Liberal left two on base in the seventh and eighth and one on in the ninth.
Boulder out-hit Liberal 12-8. Liberal had three errors and the Collegians did not commit an error. Boulder won despite walking 11. Liberal pitching walked three. Andrew Banda started for the B.J.’s going three innings allowing one run with three strikeouts and one walk. Samuel Barnes was Black Hills Energy Player of the Game going three shutout innings. Aiden Cook worked 1 and 2/3 scoreless innings. William Bologna and Noah Giovanelli had two hits a piece.
Boulder is 2-4 and Liberal falls to 3-2 and 3-1 in the Rocky Mountain. Liberal hosts Cane’s Great Plains Saturday at 7pm with the Dugout Show at 6:45 on 1270 and 92.3. Southern Pioneer Electric is the buyout sponsor.
