Region VI Tournament begins today

Fort Scott Community College starter Aaron Mason, seen here pitching to a Pratt batter during game one of the Region VI Sub-Regional Series Monday afternoon, takes an 11-0 record into the Region VI Tournament finals at Wichita. Because he pitched Monday, Mason might not appear for the Greyhounds until Saturday. (Kenny Felt/Exclusive to the Tribune)

WICHITA -- The eight best junior college baseball teams in Kansas will begin a four-to-five-day long battle for a berth in the NJCAA World Series beginning this morning at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The Region VI Tournament finals start at 10 a.m. with Fort Scott Community College (40-15) facing Neosho County (31-23) in a battle of Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division teams.

The eight teams in the tournament reached this stage by winning best-of-3 Sub-Regional series last weekend. Fort Scott swept Pratt in two games in a rain-delayed series on Monday while Neosho County defeated Dodge City two games to one.

The tournament is double elimination. The first championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday night. If the team coming from the losers' bracket wins that game, another championship game will be played at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Three other games will be played today. Kansas City (33-21) will face Western Division champion Seward County (31-26) at 1 p.m. Coffeyville (29-23) takes on Garden City (28-25) at 4 p.m Colby (39-17) will face Eastern Division champ Cowley (39-17) at 7 p.m.

Four more games will be played Saturday with two consolation games followed by the championship bracket semifinals. If Fort Scott wins today, they'll face either KCK or Seward County at 4 p.m. If the Greyhounds lose, they'll play KCK or Seward at 10 a.m.

All of Fort Scott's games will be broadcast on KSEK-FM, 99.1 and at www.991espn.com with Matt Newbery on play-by-play.