The Liberal Bee Jays won their Fourth of July game for the seventh consecutive year. In front of a large crowd at Brent Gould Field on Friday night, the B.J.s defeated the Dodge City A’s 13–8.
The A’s arrived prepared to play, taking a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second innings. Bee Jay scored a five-run second after Dodge City walked. DC hit one and walked four. Matt Bernath hit a single with two RBI. With the bases loaded, a pitch struck Drew Grego. The lead was 5-2 after Justin Hudson doubled to left center with two RBI. In the fourth, Liberal added three more. With one out, Drew Grego doubled. Following a walk, Carson Willis hit a soaring three-run home run to left to give the team an 8-2 lead. Dodge City made it 8-4 by edging back into the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth. The B.J.s continued to score, taking a 10–4 lead with two points in the sixth. Jack Ryan ripped a two-run double off the bag at third base following two walks. In the seventh, Liberal added three insurance runs. Carson Willis, Justin Hudson, and Drew Grego all singled. Grego scored a run with his single. Dodge City threw badly at third base after Willis hit, enabling another run to score. A sac fly was hit by Drew Garcia.
Dodge City lost against Liberal 10–7. Liberal made one mistake while Dodge City made two. With two doubles and a 3-5 record, Drew Grego was named the Epic Touch Player of the Game. Carson Willis and Justin Hudson each contributed two hits. Jason Davis won with five strikeouts in five innings of work. Braedon Whipple pitched five strikeouts in three innings with fewer hits.
Dodge is 8-8 in Rock Mountain and 10-15 overall. The Bee Jays are 9-9 in the Rocky Mountains and 11-9 overall. The same two teams will play on 1270 and 92.3 on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Cavalier Field in Dodge City.
