The Hutchinson Monarchs scored three times in the seventh and added one more in the eighth Friday night to rally past the Great Bend Bat Cats 8-6 at Al Burns Field.
The Monarchs, who entered the 4-game series in second place in the Sunflower Collegiate League, trailed 5-4 entering the seventh before plating three runs for a 7-5 lead. After Great Bend scored a single tally in the seventh to cut the lead to 7-6, Hutch responded with another run in the eighth to make it 8-6 which would be the final scored.
The Bat Cats are now 12-12 overall and 11-10 in the SCL heading into game 2 of the series Saturday night in Hutchinson. The Monarchs are now 13-4 in SCL action.