Jackson Schanuel bombed a three-run home run and reached base three times, as Hutchinson Monarchs narrowed the race for the Jayhawk Collegiate League championship Tuesday by beating the first-place Great Bend Bat Cats 12-3 at Hobart-Detter Field.
Schanuel’s home run, which went far beyond the trees past the left-field fence, was part of a five-run sixth inning that put the game out of reach.
The Monarchs hit the ball well all night and finished with 15 hits. JJ Spafford had three hits, while Schanuel, Dalton Sabathe, Drew Bugner, Carter Hepner and Nash Wray had two hits apiece.
Brice Wallar got the Monarchs on the board with one out in the bottom of the first inning, as his RBI groundout scored Spafford, tying the game 1-1.
The Monarchs broke the game open in the third inning with four runs. Sabathe, Bugner and Hepner had consecutive RBI singles, and Wray added an RBI single, giving the Monarchs a 5-1 lead.
Braydn McClure was the winning pitcher, throwing six innings and giving up three runs on six hits, while striking out nine. Daegen Vinduska pitched three shutout innings in relief, earning a save.
The Monarchs improved to 21-8 overall and 19-8 in the Jayhawk Collegiate league, which moved the Monarchs into second place, one game behind Great Bend (21-8). The teams will meet again at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Great Bend, in a battle between the league’s best home team (Great Bend, 11-3) and the league’s best road team (Hutchinson, 10-3). The Monarchs have two games in hand on Great Bend but those games against the Performance Factory Phemons will only be played if they would affect the league standings.
Also in contention for the league championship are the Derby Twins (19-8) and Junction City Brigade (19-9).
