By EARL WATT

• Daily Leader

Some fans were frustrated. Others were stunned.

How did the Bee Jays give up a 7-0 lead to lose to last-place Dodge City 12-7?

Some fans at Brent Gould Field shook their heads. Others simply stared with their jaws dropped.

Mark McBride pitched five shutout innings before giving up a lone run in the sixth.

Liberal manager John Martin, in an effort to give his bullpen a rest, brought in center fielder Mark Gomez to finish out the game.

But the A’s rocked Gomez for five runs with two more runners on base before Martin brought in Nick Youpel with a 7-6 lead in the seventh in a seven-inning game.

Youpel gave up two singles and the tying run scored.

Christian Kowalchuk started the eighth but only recorded one out before giving up a double, a walk and two singles.

Cruz came in relief, but the A’s continued to score and knocked off the Bee Jays 12-7.

Liberal bounced back in the nightcap for an 8-6 win for the doubleheader split.

But Sunday, Liberal again let a late-game lead slip through its fingers.

Up 7-5 in the ninth inning, Dodge City rallied to knock off the Bee Jays 8-7 with three runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dodge City players rushed Cavalier Field in Dodge City and dog-piled on Jeremy Gum who hit the walk-off double to score the winning run.

Had Liberal held on to the two last-inning leads, the Bee Jays would have been tied with Haysville for first in the Jayhawk League.

As it stands, Liberal trails the Heat by two games with seven league games left to be played. Liberal returns to Brent Gould Field at 6 p.m. Tuesday to host Hays.