The top three batters in the Beatrice (NE) Bruin batting order -- Matty Johnson, Evan Porter and Jordan Danks -- combined to score five runs as the Bruins defeated the Liberal (KS) Bee Jays 6-3 in the first game of the quarterfinal round at the National Baseball Congress World Series.
Danks went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs for Beatrice (4-1), which will play in Thursday's semifinal round. Porter also scored twice while Johnson scored once. Danks tripled in a run and scored another in the third inning as the Bruins took the lead for good. The game was one of the quicker ones in the tournament, needing just 1:56 to complete.
Brian Feekin won his second game for Beatrice, going 5 2/3 innings, while Shane Minks struck out eight batters over the final 3 1/3 to earn his third save of the tournament.
Chris Kersten singled in two runs and Chris Engell went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases for the Bee Jays (5-2), who will finish tied for fourth/fifth, depending on the result of the Santa Barbara (CA)-Havasa (AZ) game.
Beatrice will post its highest finish since 2002, when the Bruins finished fifth.
