By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

A regional title was expected Thursday at Maize South. Great Bend junior Addy Nicholson provided the exclamation point. Running against Class 5A's best in the 1600m run, Nicholson cut exactly 13 seconds off her personal best, beating a 46-year GBHS record for the silver in 5:13.11.

"It was in the back of my mind," Nicholson said, "and I was about halfway through the third lap and coach goes, 'You're going school-record pace!' That's where I knew I had to give it my all and go and finish it."&nbsp;

Several Lady Panthers qualified for state as top-four finishers, resulting in 118 team points. Hutchinson finished second with 72 points, and Salina Central placed third by a point with 69 points.

Other qualifiers and notes: High Jump: Three Lady Panthers qualified for state in the high jump. Sadie Spray led a trio of Western Athletic Conference jumpers at 5-4 for the gold. Valarie Luna, who is still tied for the state lead, cleared 5-4 for third. Cassie Ellegood qualified in the fourth spot at 5-0.

Javelin:&nbsp; The first state qualifiers came in the throws. Macy Nachtigal added three feet to a career best on her final throw to surpass a Maize South thrower for the gold at 132-4. Kyndall Blessing secured the fourth and final state spot by more than three feet at 121-9.

800m run: Great Bend tried to get three to Wichita. Eliana Beckham trailed briefly but cut two seconds off a personal best for the gold in 2:21.86. Sienna Smith took the silver by 0.01 seconds in 2:26.22. Kate Welcher was in the mix until late, falling off to sixth in 2:32.73 to miss state by five seconds.

4x400m relay: The reigning 5A champion squad ran its best time of the season a week ago at league. Thursday, the same team of Spray, Beckham, Gomez, and Premer cut two more seconds off their season best for the win by nearly two seconds in 4:05.47. That could be a top-10 time in all of Kansas this year.

4x800m relay: The team of Beckham, Ellegood, Smith, and Premer cut 13 seconds off a season best for the win by two-plus seconds in 10:05.22. That would have been the fourth-fastest time in 5A this year. Premer played cat behind her opponent before pulling away late.

4x100m relay: After a third-place finish at state last year, Great Bend grabbed the final qualifying spot by 0.45 seconds in 50.36. Premer, Spray, Luna, and Daizy Gomez teamed up for the win.

3200m run: Rupe and Nicholson again headlined the longest individual event. Rupe won in 11:24.70, followed by Nicholson in 11:43.99, still 12 seconds ahead of the next runner. Marissa Boone finished in a hard-luck fifth in 12:02 to miss state by five seconds.

300m hurdles: Great Bend had an opportunity to get three to state with Hailey Peterson running well. 5A leader AnnaLisa Cullens of Hutchinson ran the state's first sub-45 of the spring for the win in 44.92.&nbsp; Premer grabbed the silver in 46.21, Spray placed third in 46.59, and Peterson placed sixth in 50.68 to miss state by 1.66 seconds.

100m hurdles: With no Premer or Spray in the event this year, Peterson carried the torch. She ran fourth in 17.94 to grab the final qualifying spot by just 0.01 seconds. Cullens won by nearly two seconds in 14.51.

Pole Vault: Katie Kuhlman finished in the hard-luck fifth spot at 9-0, needing to go six inches higher to qualify for state.

Triple Jump: Jordyn Harbaugh missed state by less than half a foot by placing sixth at 32-6.5.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684471352214.jpeg" alt="Lady Panther junior Addy Nicholson broke a 46-year-old Great Bend High School record in the 1600m run Thursday in Maize.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Lady Panther junior Addy Nicholson broke a 46-year-old Great Bend High School record in the 1600m run Thursday in Maize.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostA regional title was expected Thursday at Maize South. Great Bend junior Addy Nicholson provided the exclamation point. Running against Class 5A's best in the 1600m run, Nicholson cut exactly 13 seconds off her personal best, beating a 46-year GBHS record for the silver in 5:13.11."It was in the back of my mind," Nicholson said, "and I was about halfway through the third lap and coach goes, 'You're going school-record pace!' That's where I knew I had to give it my all and go and finish it."&nbsp;Several Lady Panthers qualified for state as top-four finishers, resulting in 118 team points. Hutchinson finished second with 72 points, and Salina Central placed third by a point with 69 points.Other qualifiers and notes: High Jump: Three Lady Panthers qualified for state in the high jump. Sadie Spray led a trio of Western Athletic Conference jumpers at 5-4 for the gold. Valarie Luna, who is still tied for the state lead, cleared 5-4 for third. Cassie Ellegood qualified in the fourth spot at 5-0.Javelin:&nbsp; The first state qualifiers came in the throws. Macy Nachtigal added three feet to a career best on her final throw to surpass a Maize South thrower for the gold at 132-4. Kyndall Blessing secured the fourth and final state spot by more than three feet at 121-9.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684471483072.jpeg" alt="Lady Panther junior Sadie Spray won regional titles in the high jump and 4x400m relay, and also qualified for state in the 300m hurdles and 4x100m relay." />
 <figcaption>Lady Panther junior Sadie Spray won regional titles in the high jump and 4x400m relay, and also qualified for state in the 300m hurdles and 4x100m relay.</figcaption>
 </figure>800m run: Great Bend tried to get three to Wichita. Eliana Beckham trailed briefly but cut two seconds off a personal best for the gold in 2:21.86. Sienna Smith took the silver by 0.01 seconds in 2:26.22. Kate Welcher was in the mix until late, falling off to sixth in 2:32.73 to miss state by five seconds.4x400m relay: The reigning 5A champion squad ran its best time of the season a week ago at league. Thursday, the same team of Spray, Beckham, Gomez, and Premer cut two more seconds off their season best for the win by nearly two seconds in 4:05.47. That could be a top-10 time in all of Kansas this year.4x800m relay: The team of Beckham, Ellegood, Smith, and Premer cut 13 seconds off a season best for the win by two-plus seconds in 10:05.22. That would have been the fourth-fastest time in 5A this year. Premer played cat behind her opponent before pulling away late.4x100m relay: After a third-place finish at state last year, Great Bend grabbed the final qualifying spot by 0.45 seconds in 50.36. Premer, Spray, Luna, and Daizy Gomez teamed up for the win.3200m run: Rupe and Nicholson again headlined the longest individual event. Rupe won in 11:24.70, followed by Nicholson in 11:43.99, still 12 seconds ahead of the next runner. Marissa Boone finished in a hard-luck fifth in 12:02 to miss state by five seconds.300m hurdles: Great Bend had an opportunity to get three to state with Hailey Peterson running well. 5A leader AnnaLisa Cullens of Hutchinson ran the state's first sub-45 of the spring for the win in 44.92.&nbsp; Premer grabbed the silver in 46.21, Spray placed third in 46.59, and Peterson placed sixth in 50.68 to miss state by 1.66 seconds.100m hurdles: With no Premer or Spray in the event this year, Peterson carried the torch. She ran fourth in 17.94 to grab the final qualifying spot by just 0.01 seconds. Cullens won by nearly two seconds in 14.51.Pole Vault: Katie Kuhlman finished in the hard-luck fifth spot at 9-0, needing to go six inches higher to qualify for state.Triple Jump: Jordyn Harbaugh missed state by less than half a foot by placing sixth at 32-6.5.&nbsp;

Nicholson breaks school record, Lady Panthers cruise to regional crown

Thursday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher


- Great Bend Baseball coach
Randy Beck will be in studio and will be joined by selected players
who helped the Panthers reach the 5A State Tournament next week in
Wichita.


- Aaron Clark wraps up the
Lady Panthers softball season that ended in the championship game of
the 5A Regional Yesterday with a 6-2 loss to Goddard Eisenhower.


- Mike Hesher had the winning
call for the Hoisington Cardinals 3A Regional Baseball Championship
Wednesday in Hoisington. He'll tell us how the Cardinals got it done.


- We'll have an update from
Eck Stadium in Wichita where the Barton Cougars will play in the
second round of the Region 6 Tournament after beating KCK 14-5 in
their first round game Wednesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663183818995.jpeg" alt="Presented By" />
 <figcaption>Presented By</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5QL3M6Gvz-k" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Thursday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher
- Great Bend Baseball coach
Randy Beck will be in studio and will be joined by selected players
who helped the Panthers reach the 5A State Tournament next week in
Wichita.
- Aaron Clark wraps up the
Lady Panthers softball season that ended in the championship game of
the 5A Regional Yesterday with a 6-2 loss to Goddard Eisenhower.
- Mike Hesher had the winning
call for the Hoisington Cardinals 3A Regional Baseball Championship
Wednesday in Hoisington. He'll tell us how the Cardinals got it done.
- We'll have an update from
Eck Stadium in Wichita where the Barton Cougars will play in the
second round of the Region 6 Tournament after beating KCK 14-5 in
their first round game Wednesday.
- Thursday Sports Headlines
- Sounds of the past 24-hours

Thursday on Sports Day ( Watch)

Kyndall Blessing will be sticking around home for a little while. The Great Bend High School senior has signed a letter of intent to compete for the Barton Community College track and field team next year.

In 2021, Blessing placed eighth in the Class 5A javelin state competition. As a junior last season, Blessing threw the javelin 115-9 at state to place seventh in Class 5A. To open the 2023 track season, Blessing blasted a new personal record of 136-1. That throw still ranks No. 12 all-class this season in Kansas, and is the third-best throw in Class 5A.

Kyndall is the daughter of David and Alana Blessing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684430479928.jpeg" alt="Great Bend High School senior Kyndall Blessing, a two-time state medalist in the javelin, has signed a letter of intent to continue her career at Barton Community College." />
 <figcaption>Great Bend High School senior Kyndall Blessing, a two-time state medalist in the javelin, has signed a letter of intent to continue her career at Barton Community College.</figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend PostKyndall Blessing will be sticking around home for a little while. The Great Bend High School senior has signed a letter of intent to compete for the Barton Community College track and field team next year.In 2021, Blessing placed eighth in the Class 5A javelin state competition. As a junior last season, Blessing threw the javelin 115-9 at state to place seventh in Class 5A. To open the 2023 track season, Blessing blasted a new personal record of 136-1. That throw still ranks No. 12 all-class this season in Kansas, and is the third-best throw in Class 5A.Kyndall is the daughter of David and Alana Blessing.

Great Bend's Blessing inks with Lady Cougar track and field team

Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher


- The show will be on the road
with the live broadcast from the Fieldhouse in Great Bend. 



- We'll hear from K-State
coaches and administrators who are in town for the Central Kansas Cat
Backers stop at the Fielhouse.


- A recap of all the baseball
and softball action from yesterday that included Regional
Championships for Great Bend and Larned baseball.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660823675526.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/2kqf3dso/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>Wednesday show lineup with hosts Steve Webster, Mike Courson, Aaron Clark and Mike Hesher
- The show will be on the road
with the live broadcast from the Fieldhouse in Great Bend. 

- We'll hear from K-State
coaches and administrators who are in town for the Central Kansas Cat
Backers stop at the Fielhouse.
- Ellinwood Baseball coach
Roger Ward.
- A recap of all the baseball
and softball action from yesterday that included Regional
Championships for Great Bend and Larned baseball.
- Sounds of the past 24-hours.

Wednesday on Sports Day (Listen)

Hoisington 3A Baseball Regional Monday @ Hoisington Hoisington 7, Beloit 3 Ellinwood 1, Smoky Valley 0 Tuesday @ Hesston Ellsworth 7, Sylvan Lucas 5 Hesston 5, Nickerson 2 Wednesday Semi-Finals @ Hoisington Hesston 4, Ellsworth 1 Hoisington 17, Ellinwood 4 Hoisington 13, Hesston 5 * Hoisington advances to 3A State Tournament with a record of 15-7&nbsp;

5A Regional @ Wichita West Urban Tuesday May 16 Great Bend 3, Hays 1 Andover 4, Kapaun 3 (8-inn) Great Bend 4, Andover 3 *Great Bend advances to 5A State Tournament with a record of 13-9 4A Regional @ Pratt Tuesday May 16 Larned 2, Chapman 0 Pratt 7, Mulvane 6 Larned 1, Pratt 0 * Larned advances to 4A State Tournament with a record of 14-7

Lyons 3A Softball Regional Tuesday @ Lyons Ellsworth 11, Ellinwood 0 Hoisington 11, Lyons 1 Hoisington 6, Ellsworth 0 Tuesday @ Southeast of Saline Smoky Valley 7, Hesston 3 Southeast of Saline 15, Nickerson 0 Southeast of Saline 15, Smoky Valley 5 Wednesday Championship @ Lyons Southeast of Saline 2, Hoisington 0 * SES advances to 3A State Tournament with a record of 21-2 * Hoisington season ends with a record of 17-5 4A Regional @ McPherson Tuesday May 16 Abilene 8, Larned 5 - Larned ends season with a record of 10-10 McPherson 5, Winfield 0 McPherson 11, Abilene 0 *McPherson advances to 4A State Tournament with a record of 19-3&nbsp;

5A Regional @ Goddard Eisenhower Wednesday May 17 Great Bend 10, Hays 5 Goddard Eisenhower 1, Topeka West 0 (8-inn) Goddard Eisenhower 6, Great Bend 2 * Goddard Eisenhower advances to 5A State Tournament with a 17-5 record * Great Bend season ends with a record of 11-11

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683751789087.jpeg" alt="Regional pairings" />
 <figcaption>Regional pairings</figcaption>
 </figure>Hoisington 3A Baseball Regional Monday @ Hoisington Hoisington 7, Beloit 3 Ellinwood 1, Smoky Valley 0 Tuesday @ Hesston Ellsworth 7, Sylvan Lucas 5 Hesston 5, Nickerson 2 Wednesday Semi-Finals @ Hoisington Hesston 4, Ellsworth 1 Hoisington 17, Ellinwood 4 Hoisington 13, Hesston 5 * Hoisington advances to 3A State Tournament with a record of 15-7&nbsp;5A Regional @ Wichita West Urban Tuesday May 16 Great Bend 3, Hays 1 Andover 4, Kapaun 3 (8-inn) Great Bend 4, Andover 3 *Great Bend advances to 5A State Tournament with a record of 13-9 4A Regional @ Pratt Tuesday May 16 Larned 2, Chapman 0 Pratt 7, Mulvane 6 Larned 1, Pratt 0 * Larned advances to 4A State Tournament with a record of 14-7<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683751752965.jpeg" alt="Regional Pairings" />
 <figcaption>Regional Pairings</figcaption>
 </figure>Lyons 3A Softball Regional Tuesday @ Lyons Ellsworth 11, Ellinwood 0 Hoisington 11, Lyons 1 Hoisington 6, Ellsworth 0 Tuesday @ Southeast of Saline Smoky Valley 7, Hesston 3 Southeast of Saline 15, Nickerson 0 Southeast of Saline 15, Smoky Valley 5 Wednesday Championship @ Lyons Southeast of Saline 2, Hoisington 0 * SES advances to 3A State Tournament with a record of 21-2 * Hoisington season ends with a record of 17-5 4A Regional @ McPherson Tuesday May 16 Abilene 8, Larned 5 - Larned ends season with a record of 10-10 McPherson 5, Winfield 0 McPherson 11, Abilene 0 *McPherson advances to 4A State Tournament with a record of 19-3&nbsp; 5A Regional @ Goddard Eisenhower Wednesday May 17 Great Bend 10, Hays 5 Goddard Eisenhower 1, Topeka West 0 (8-inn) Goddard Eisenhower 6, Great Bend 2 * Goddard Eisenhower advances to 5A State Tournament with a 17-5 record * Great Bend season ends with a record of 11-11

Area Regional Baseball and Softball scores

By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports Info

Dryden Howse's lone hit of the evening sent the 6th ranked Barton Community College baseball team to a walk off 14-5 run-rule shortened seventh inning victory over Kansas City Kansas Community College Wednesday evening at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium in the opening round of the Region VI/Plains District Tournament.

Eclipsing the 50-win mark for the first time in program history, the victory moves the Cougars to 50-8 overall while advancing to Thursday's 7:00 p.m. winner's bracket semifinal matchup against No. 4 seeded Cowley Community College (36-20) after the Tigers defeated Cloud County Community College 3-1. The Blue Devils fall to 37-22 overall and will play in Thursday's 1:00 p.m. elimination game against Cloud County Community College.

Quinton Robertson and Grant Nottlemann paced the Barton bats fabricating six of the 12 Cougar hits out of the No. 6 and No. 7 spots in the lineup.

Robertson turned in a perfect 3-of-3 day at the plate while assembling two of Barton's five extra base hits with one of his two doubles plating the first of a five run fifth inning.

Nottlemann fashioned a 3-of-4 performance at the dish with three singles including a sixth inning RBI single forming the first of a two-run response in the home sixth.

Despite recording one hit apiece on the evening, Riley Silva and Howse drove in six of the 12 Cougar runs.

Silva singled home the first of his three runs in the second capping a three-run frame with the other two runs brought across on groundouts in the fourth and fifth innings.

Howse finalized the scoring in the home seventh lacing a no-doubt three-run dinger over the center field fence for his team leading seventh home run of the season to walk it off in run-rule fashion.

Starting pitcher David Stuart (8-3) gave the Cougars five solid innings scattering seven hits, four earned runs allowed. The sophomore walked two and fanned five moving into a fifth-place tie with fellow teammate Zach Thornton for most strikeouts in a single season, at 91. Earning his eighth victory of the season and joining teammates Owen Reynolds and Tegan Cain, Stuart now sits in an eighth-place tie for most wins in a single season.

Bryan Bartels tossed one inning in relief yielding one hit while Reece Hemmerling worked the final frame allowing one hit and a walk.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684403407925.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRANDON SMITH Barton Sports InfoDryden Howse's lone hit of the evening sent the 6th ranked Barton Community College baseball team to a walk off 14-5 run-rule shortened seventh inning victory over Kansas City Kansas Community College Wednesday evening at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium in the opening round of the Region VI/Plains District Tournament.Eclipsing the 50-win mark for the first time in program history, the victory moves the Cougars to 50-8 overall while advancing to Thursday's 7:00 p.m. winner's bracket semifinal matchup against No. 4 seeded Cowley Community College (36-20) after the Tigers defeated Cloud County Community College 3-1. The Blue Devils fall to 37-22 overall and will play in Thursday's 1:00 p.m. elimination game against Cloud County Community College.Quinton Robertson and Grant Nottlemann paced the Barton bats fabricating six of the 12 Cougar hits out of the No. 6 and No. 7 spots in the lineup.Robertson turned in a perfect 3-of-3 day at the plate while assembling two of Barton's five extra base hits with one of his two doubles plating the first of a five run fifth inning.Nottlemann fashioned a 3-of-4 performance at the dish with three singles including a sixth inning RBI single forming the first of a two-run response in the home sixth.Despite recording one hit apiece on the evening, Riley Silva and Howse drove in six of the 12 Cougar runs.Silva singled home the first of his three runs in the second capping a three-run frame with the other two runs brought across on groundouts in the fourth and fifth innings.Howse finalized the scoring in the home seventh lacing a no-doubt three-run dinger over the center field fence for his team leading seventh home run of the season to walk it off in run-rule fashion.Starting pitcher David Stuart (8-3) gave the Cougars five solid innings scattering seven hits, four earned runs allowed. The sophomore walked two and fanned five moving into a fifth-place tie with fellow teammate Zach Thornton for most strikeouts in a single season, at 91. Earning his eighth victory of the season and joining teammates Owen Reynolds and Tegan Cain, Stuart now sits in an eighth-place tie for most wins in a single season.Bryan Bartels tossed one inning in relief yielding one hit while Reece Hemmerling worked the final frame allowing one hit and a walk.

Howse walk-off caps 6th ranked Barton Baseball run-rule victory over KCK

SAN DIEGO (AP) — What was left of the crowd of 32,416 at Petco Park on a gloomy afternoon loudly booed the San Diego Padres after Ha-Seong Kim made the last out of a dismal 4-3 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals.

It wasn't the first time Wednesday frustrated fans let the high-priced Padres have it as they continued to flounder with runners in scoring position and make baserunning blunders.

The Padres were supposed to be so much better this year, with baseball's third-highest payroll and a quartet of superstars in Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Juan Soto. Yet they dropped two of three to the Royals, who are last in the AL Central, and have lost nine of 11 overall to tumble to fourth place in the NL West, eight games behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and four games under .500.

“I mean, we're frustrated. The way that we finished the game, I would boo ourselves, too," Tatis said.

Machado, sidelined indefinitely after finding out he has a fractured bone in his left hand, agreed.

“I don’t blame them. We’re not playing well right now," said Machado, who was hurt when he was hit by a pitch Monday night and doesn't know if he'll need to go on the injured list. "There’s an expectation that we had coming into the season and they expect us to go out there and win every single game. I think collectively as a group we’ve got to go out there and be better as a group. We’ve got to trust the process. Things really aren’t really rolling our way right now, at all.”

The season opened with World Series aspirations after the Padres made a stirring run to the NL Championship Series last fall. Now there's an ugly skid that includes five losses in six games to the Dodgers, beaten by San Diego in four games during their Division Series last October.

Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Yu Darvish for the Royals. His homer to right field, his eighth, and Maikel Garcia's RBI double gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning.

The Padres went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 overall.

San Diego's offensive woes continued despite Kansas City needing a bullpen day. The Padres scored twice in the sixth to pull to 4-3 but Tatis, moved down to third in the lineup, popped out weakly with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The Padres loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Aroldis Chapman, but Trent Grisham struck out for the fourth straight time and then a wild pitch by Chapman caromed off the backstop right back to catcher Salvador Perez, who easily tagged out Juan Soto trying to score, ending the inning.

That blunder came one day after the Padres made two critical outs on the bases late in a 5-4 loss.

“We feel like we took good at-bats as an offense today and we keep the line moving, but we just couldn’t execute at the end,” Tatis said.

The Padres kept the clubhouse closed for several minutes afterward.

“Just as a group coming together, as a group just talking, seeing what’s going on and just giving some honest feedback each one to each other, as a group together,” Tatis said. “Of course, there’s frustration. Everybody’s been coming to this clubhouse, been working so hard. ... But just at the end of the day, it’s just not happening right now.”

Royals opener Carlos Hernández held the Padres to two hits in two scoreless innings while striking out four.

The Padres’ recurring woes with runners in scoring position intensified against Mike Mayers, who came on to start the third and made his Royals debut after having his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha. Tatis came up with runners on first and second with one out in the third and grounded into a double play.

Mayers got out of a huge jam in the fourth when he loaded the bases with one out, on a single and consecutive walks, before striking out Grisham and Austin Nola to elicit boos from the crowd.

Jake Cronenworth homered to right in the fifth, his fourth, to tie the game at 1.

MJ Melendez hit an RBI double for the Royals in the fourth.

Josh Taylor (1-1) got two outs for the win. Scott Barlow pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.

“Big series, especially after going to Milwaukee and getting swept,” Pasquantino said. “I think it would have been really easy to fall asleep, essentially, and not lock in for the rest of this series, but it was a really resilient job of the guys being able to lock in for these three games.”

Darvish (2-3) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Royals: Transferred LHP Ryan Yarbrough (skull fractures) to the 60-day injured list. Placed LHP Amir Garrett on the family medical emergency list.

Royals: RHP Zack Greinke (1-4, 5.01 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox, who will counter with RHP Michael Kopech (1-4, 5.74).

Padres: LHP Blake Snell (1-5, 4.61) is set to start Friday night in the opener of a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, who will go with LHP James Paxton (0-0, 3.60).

SAN DIEGO (AP) — What was left of the crowd of 32,416 at Petco Park on a gloomy afternoon loudly booed the San Diego Padres after Ha-Seong Kim made the last out of a dismal 4-3 loss to the lowly Kansas City Royals.It wasn't the first time Wednesday frustrated fans let the high-priced Padres have it as they continued to flounder with runners in scoring position and make baserunning blunders.The Padres were supposed to be so much better this year, with baseball's third-highest payroll and a quartet of superstars in Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Juan Soto. Yet they dropped two of three to the Royals, who are last in the AL Central, and have lost nine of 11 overall to tumble to fourth place in the NL West, eight games behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers and four games under .500.“I mean, we're frustrated. The way that we finished the game, I would boo ourselves, too," Tatis said.Machado, sidelined indefinitely after finding out he has a fractured bone in his left hand, agreed.“I don’t blame them. We’re not playing well right now," said Machado, who was hurt when he was hit by a pitch Monday night and doesn't know if he'll need to go on the injured list. "There’s an expectation that we had coming into the season and they expect us to go out there and win every single game. I think collectively as a group we’ve got to go out there and be better as a group. We’ve got to trust the process. Things really aren’t really rolling our way right now, at all.”The season opened with World Series aspirations after the Padres made a stirring run to the NL Championship Series last fall. Now there's an ugly skid that includes five losses in six games to the Dodgers, beaten by San Diego in four games during their Division Series last October.Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Yu Darvish for the Royals. His homer to right field, his eighth, and Maikel Garcia's RBI double gave Kansas City a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning.The Padres went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 overall.San Diego's offensive woes continued despite Kansas City needing a bullpen day. The Padres scored twice in the sixth to pull to 4-3 but Tatis, moved down to third in the lineup, popped out weakly with the bases loaded to end the inning.The Padres loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Aroldis Chapman, but Trent Grisham struck out for the fourth straight time and then a wild pitch by Chapman caromed off the backstop right back to catcher Salvador Perez, who easily tagged out Juan Soto trying to score, ending the inning.That blunder came one day after the Padres made two critical outs on the bases late in a 5-4 loss.“We feel like we took good at-bats as an offense today and we keep the line moving, but we just couldn’t execute at the end,” Tatis said.The Padres kept the clubhouse closed for several minutes afterward.“Just as a group coming together, as a group just talking, seeing what’s going on and just giving some honest feedback each one to each other, as a group together,” Tatis said. “Of course, there’s frustration. Everybody’s been coming to this clubhouse, been working so hard. ... But just at the end of the day, it’s just not happening right now.”Royals opener Carlos Hernández held the Padres to two hits in two scoreless innings while striking out four.The Padres’ recurring woes with runners in scoring position intensified against Mike Mayers, who came on to start the third and made his Royals debut after having his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha. Tatis came up with runners on first and second with one out in the third and grounded into a double play.Mayers got out of a huge jam in the fourth when he loaded the bases with one out, on a single and consecutive walks, before striking out Grisham and Austin Nola to elicit boos from the crowd.Jake Cronenworth homered to right in the fifth, his fourth, to tie the game at 1.MJ Melendez hit an RBI double for the Royals in the fourth.Josh Taylor (1-1) got two outs for the win. Scott Barlow pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.“Big series, especially after going to Milwaukee and getting swept,” Pasquantino said. “I think it would have been really easy to fall asleep, essentially, and not lock in for the rest of this series, but it was a really resilient job of the guys being able to lock in for these three games.”Darvish (2-3) allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings.TRAINER'S ROOMRoyals: Transferred LHP Ryan Yarbrough (skull fractures) to the 60-day injured list. Placed LHP Amir Garrett on the family medical emergency list.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Zack Greinke (1-4, 5.01 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at the Chicago White Sox, who will counter with RHP Michael Kopech (1-4, 5.74).Padres: LHP Blake Snell (1-5, 4.61) is set to start Friday night in the opener of a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, who will go with LHP James Paxton (0-0, 3.60).

Pasquantino hits 2-run homer, Royals beat struggling Padres 4-3

Softball: Southeast of Saline 2, Hoisington 0

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581739911992.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>Softball: Southeast of Saline 2, Hoisington 0<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/q5lvw04s/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Softball: SE of Saline 2, Hoisington 0

Great Bend Post The Hoisington High School baseball team earned a 13-5 win over Hesston in the Regional Championship game Wednesday night in Hoisington to earn a trip to the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament next week.

The Cardinals scored 12 runs in the 5th inning to break a 1-1 tie against the Regional’s #1-seeded Swathers.&nbsp;

Hoisington (15-7) will play in the State Tournament in Manhattan on May 25.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684376907145.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend Post The Hoisington High School baseball team earned a 13-5 win over Hesston in the Regional Championship game Wednesday night in Hoisington to earn a trip to the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament next week. The Cardinals scored 12 runs in the 5th inning to break a 1-1 tie against the Regional’s #1-seeded Swathers.&nbsp;Hoisington (15-7) will play in the State Tournament in Manhattan on May 25.&nbsp;

Hoisington baseball team punches ticket to State! 

Baseball -Game 1- Hoisington 17 Ellinwood 4 -Game 2- Hoisington 13 Hesston 5

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581739911992.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>Baseball -Game 1- Hoisington 17 Ellinwood 4 -Game 2- Hoisington 13 Hesston 5<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/amvvsxvp/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Softball -Game 1- Great Bend 10 Hays 5 -Game 2- Goddard 6 Great Bend 2

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886602159.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>Softball -Game 1- Great Bend 10 Hays 5 -Game 2- Goddard 6 Great Bend 2<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/1hxvy4nh/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

SAN DIEGO (AP) —
Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Yu Darvish and
the Kansas City Royals beat the struggling San Diego Padres 4-3 to
take two of three in the series. Pasquantino’s homer to right
field, his eighth, and Maikel Garcia’s RBI double gave the Royals a
4-1 lead in the sixth inning. Many in the crowd of 32,416 booed the
Padres after Scott Barlow retired the side in the ninth for his sixth
save. San Diego’s star-studded lineup went 2 for 9 with runners in
scoring position and stranded 12 overall as the Padres lost for the
ninth time in 11 games.

ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Matthew Liberatore tossed five shutout innings in his season debut
and Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer to lead the St. Louis Cardinals
to a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis won for the eighth
time in 10 games. Milwaukee has lost two of three. Liberatore, a
23-year-old left-hander, gave up three hits and struck out six. Nolan
Arenado drove in a first-inning run for St. Louis. DeJong pushed the
lead to three runs with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Milwaukee outfielder Owen Miller stretched his hitting streak to 10
games with a three hits.

DENVER (AP) —
Elias Díaz drove in three runs and Kris Bryant, Jurickson Profar and
Brenton Doyle each had two RBIs in a two-inning, 11-run outburst that
helped the Colorado Rockies erase a five-run deficit and beat the
Cincinnati Reds 11-6 on Wednesday. The Rockies sent 19 batters to the
plate and recorded 10 hits while scoring five times in the fifth and
six more times in the sixth. Doyle’s two-run triple put Colorado
ahead to stay in its 11th win in 16 games. And it all happened
without a home run, marking the first time since 2019 that the
Rockies have scored 10 or more runs without going deep.

NEW YORK (AP) —
New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has been suspended for 10
games by Major League Baseball and fined for violating the sport’s
prohibition of foreign substances on the mound. The penalty was
announced Wednesday, following Germán’s ejection in the fourth
inning Tuesday night at Toronto for what the umpire crew chief said
was “the stickiest hand" he'd ever felt. Germán did not
appeal, and his penalty began with Wednesday night’s game in
Toronto. Germán had retired his first nine batters Tuesday night. He
denied Hoye’s assertion, saying he didn’t have anything on his
hand other than rosin. Germán’s ejection was the fourth since
Major League Baseball started its crackdown on prohibited grip aids
two years ago, and the second this season.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers aspire to be like Randy Johnson.
Zac Gallen unintentionally got real close in emulating the Hall of
Famer. While warming up in the outfield before Arizona’s game at
Oakland on Wednesday, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in
midflight, killing the animal. The throw was captured by cameras for
Diamondbacks’ broadcaster Bally Sports Arizona. Johnson infamously
killed a bird during a spring training game in 2001. While throwing a
pitch against the San Francisco Giants, a bird crossed in front of
home plate and was destroyed by the baseball.

UNDATED, Calif. (AP)
— A few sideways glances by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge
this week have put pitch tipping and sign stealing back in baseball’s
spotlight. The Blue Jays allege that a Yankees coach was spying on
pitcher Jay Jackson's grip and then relaying that info to Judge.
Judge refutes that he and the Yankees did anything against the rules.
Both sides might be telling the truth. Even if a coach or teammate
was studying Jackson and sharing info via hand signals to Judge in
the box, the Yankees may not be in violation of any Major League
Baseball rules. In fact, legal sign stealing and pitch-tip hunting
have been part of the game for generations.

BOSTON (AP) —
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, including 20 after halftime, and the
Miami Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics
123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami trailed by
nine at the half before outscoring Boston 66-50 over the final two
quarters. It was Butler's fifth game with 30 or more points this
postseason. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. Kyle
Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all added 15
points apiece. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line. Game 2
is Friday in Boston. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points.
Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm
Brogdon added 19 points.

DENVER (AP) — The
Los Angeles Lakers have to feel good about avoiding a blowout at
Denver in the opener of the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets
also have some takeaways from the Lakers' furious fourth-quarter
rally after escaping with a 132-126 win. Nuggets coach Michael Malone
said Wednesday that the close call kept the Nuggets from getting too
full of themselves. He said the players were laser focused in film
study after watching the Lakers dominate the second half of Game 1.

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP)
— Oak Hill is tough enough in any conditions. Throw in biting
colder temperatures on the eve of the PGA Championship and it was a
reminder that this major figures to be a strong test. The good news
for the 156 players is the weather will get warmer. Oak Hill figures
to stay tough. Jordan Spieth says it's no different from a U.S. Open.
The thick rough and penal bunkers are putting a premium on accuracy.
The PGA Championship begins Thursday with 99 of the top 100 players
in the world. Masters champion Jon Rahm is among the favorites.

UNDATED (AP) — A
Florida judge has sided with superstar golfer Tiger Woods in a legal
dispute with his ex-girlfriend. Judge Elizabeth Metzger rejected late
Wednesday an attempt by Erica Herman to throw out her nondisclosure
agreement with Woods. Metzger called Herman's allegation that was a
victim of sexual harassment “vague and threadbare.” She also said
that Herman's questioning if whether she actually signed the
agreement is also something that should be decided by the arbitrator.
Herman has been suing Woods and the trust that owns his Florida
mansion, seeking $30 million from the latter. Herman and Woods were
together for about five years before they split in October.

NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683539609733.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) —
Vinnie Pasquantino hit a tiebreaking two-run homer off Yu Darvish and
the Kansas City Royals beat the struggling San Diego Padres 4-3 to
take two of three in the series. Pasquantino’s homer to right
field, his eighth, and Maikel Garcia’s RBI double gave the Royals a
4-1 lead in the sixth inning. Many in the crowd of 32,416 booed the
Padres after Scott Barlow retired the side in the ninth for his sixth
save. San Diego’s star-studded lineup went 2 for 9 with runners in
scoring position and stranded 12 overall as the Padres lost for the
ninth time in 11 games.ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Matthew Liberatore tossed five shutout innings in his season debut
and Paul DeJong hit a two-run homer to lead the St. Louis Cardinals
to a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis won for the eighth
time in 10 games. Milwaukee has lost two of three. Liberatore, a
23-year-old left-hander, gave up three hits and struck out six. Nolan
Arenado drove in a first-inning run for St. Louis. DeJong pushed the
lead to three runs with a two-run homer in the sixth inning.
Milwaukee outfielder Owen Miller stretched his hitting streak to 10
games with a three hits.DENVER (AP) —
Elias Díaz drove in three runs and Kris Bryant, Jurickson Profar and
Brenton Doyle each had two RBIs in a two-inning, 11-run outburst that
helped the Colorado Rockies erase a five-run deficit and beat the
Cincinnati Reds 11-6 on Wednesday. The Rockies sent 19 batters to the
plate and recorded 10 hits while scoring five times in the fifth and
six more times in the sixth. Doyle’s two-run triple put Colorado
ahead to stay in its 11th win in 16 games. And it all happened
without a home run, marking the first time since 2019 that the
Rockies have scored 10 or more runs without going deep.NEW YORK (AP) —
New York Yankees pitcher Domingo Germán has been suspended for 10
games by Major League Baseball and fined for violating the sport’s
prohibition of foreign substances on the mound. The penalty was
announced Wednesday, following Germán’s ejection in the fourth
inning Tuesday night at Toronto for what the umpire crew chief said
was “the stickiest hand" he'd ever felt. Germán did not
appeal, and his penalty began with Wednesday night’s game in
Toronto. Germán had retired his first nine batters Tuesday night. He
denied Hoye’s assertion, saying he didn’t have anything on his
hand other than rosin. Germán’s ejection was the fourth since
Major League Baseball started its crackdown on prohibited grip aids
two years ago, and the second this season.OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)
— Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers aspire to be like Randy Johnson.
Zac Gallen unintentionally got real close in emulating the Hall of
Famer. While warming up in the outfield before Arizona’s game at
Oakland on Wednesday, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in
midflight, killing the animal. The throw was captured by cameras for
Diamondbacks’ broadcaster Bally Sports Arizona. Johnson infamously
killed a bird during a spring training game in 2001. While throwing a
pitch against the San Francisco Giants, a bird crossed in front of
home plate and was destroyed by the baseball.UNDATED, Calif. (AP)
— A few sideways glances by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge
this week have put pitch tipping and sign stealing back in baseball’s
spotlight. The Blue Jays allege that a Yankees coach was spying on
pitcher Jay Jackson's grip and then relaying that info to Judge.
Judge refutes that he and the Yankees did anything against the rules.
Both sides might be telling the truth. Even if a coach or teammate
was studying Jackson and sharing info via hand signals to Judge in
the box, the Yankees may not be in violation of any Major League
Baseball rules. In fact, legal sign stealing and pitch-tip hunting
have been part of the game for generations.BOSTON (AP) —
Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, including 20 after halftime, and the
Miami Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics
123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Miami trailed by
nine at the half before outscoring Boston 66-50 over the final two
quarters. It was Butler's fifth game with 30 or more points this
postseason. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. Kyle
Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all added 15
points apiece. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line. Game 2
is Friday in Boston. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points.
Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm
Brogdon added 19 points.DENVER (AP) — The
Los Angeles Lakers have to feel good about avoiding a blowout at
Denver in the opener of the Western Conference finals. The Nuggets
also have some takeaways from the Lakers' furious fourth-quarter
rally after escaping with a 132-126 win. Nuggets coach Michael Malone
said Wednesday that the close call kept the Nuggets from getting too
full of themselves. He said the players were laser focused in film
study after watching the Lakers dominate the second half of Game 1.PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP)
— Oak Hill is tough enough in any conditions. Throw in biting
colder temperatures on the eve of the PGA Championship and it was a
reminder that this major figures to be a strong test. The good news
for the 156 players is the weather will get warmer. Oak Hill figures
to stay tough. Jordan Spieth says it's no different from a U.S. Open.
The thick rough and penal bunkers are putting a premium on accuracy.
The PGA Championship begins Thursday with 99 of the top 100 players
in the world. Masters champion Jon Rahm is among the favorites.UNDATED (AP) — A
Florida judge has sided with superstar golfer Tiger Woods in a legal
dispute with his ex-girlfriend. Judge Elizabeth Metzger rejected late
Wednesday an attempt by Erica Herman to throw out her nondisclosure
agreement with Woods. Metzger called Herman's allegation that was a
victim of sexual harassment “vague and threadbare.” She also said
that Herman's questioning if whether she actually signed the
agreement is also something that should be decided by the arbitrator.
Herman has been suing Woods and the trust that owns his Florida
mansion, seeking $30 million from the latter. Herman and Woods were
together for about five years before they split in October.WEDNESDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEFinal	Pittsburgh	8	Detroit	0	Final	L.A.
Dodgers	7	Minnesota	3	Final	Arizona	5	Oakland	3	Final	Kansas
City	4	San Diego	3	Final	N.Y.
Mets	8	Tampa Bay	7	Final	Atlanta	6	Texas	5	Final	Houston	7	Chicago
Cubs	6	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Baltimore	3	L.A.
Angels	1	Final	Boston	12	Seattle	3	Final	Toronto	3	N.Y.
Yankees	0	Final	Chicago White
Sox	7	Cleveland	2	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Colorado	11	Cincinnati	6	Final	San
Francisco	7	Philadelphia	4	Final	Miami	4	Washington	3	Final	St.
Louis	3	Milwaukee	0	NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Miami	123	Boston	116

Thursday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

One upset in the Class 5A regional bracket in Goddard Wednesday was not enough to get the Great Bend High School softball team to state. Playing as the No. 12 seed in the west regional, the Lady Panthers opened the bracket with a 10-5 win against No. 5 Hays. No. 4 Goddard-Eisenhower needed an extra frame to stay alive 1-0 in their first game. The Tigers put up five runs in the first inning of the championship game, never trailing Great bend in a 6-2 win.

Eisenhower used an error, home run, and triple in the opening frame to take command of the game. The Lady Tigers went on to lead 6-0 after three innings.

The Lady Panthers did claw back. After knocking in seven runs in game one Wednesday, DeShawnna Bryant walked to lead off the fourth. She came around to score after singles from Alyssa McCauley, Rylee Prilling, and Denver Ringo. A pickoff at second left the other runners stranded. Ava Kaiser doubled to lead off the fifth inning. She came around to score on a single from Katherine Mazouch for a 6-2 score. Halle Post made it as far as third base in the sixth inning.

Kaiser's double was the lone Lady Panther extra-base hit in the loss. Ringo singled twice and drove in a run, Mazouch had the RBI-single, and Paige Thexton singled and walked. The Lady Panthers struck out seven times and recorded seven hits.

McCauley threw all seven innings in game one for the win. She pitched the first two innings of the championship game, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Braelyn Turner allowed three hits and struck out two in four shutout innings to close out the season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886567489.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend PostOne upset in the Class 5A regional bracket in Goddard Wednesday was not enough to get the Great Bend High School softball team to state. Playing as the No. 12 seed in the west regional, the Lady Panthers opened the bracket with a 10-5 win against No. 5 Hays. No. 4 Goddard-Eisenhower needed an extra frame to stay alive 1-0 in their first game. The Tigers put up five runs in the first inning of the championship game, never trailing Great bend in a 6-2 win.Eisenhower used an error, home run, and triple in the opening frame to take command of the game. The Lady Tigers went on to lead 6-0 after three innings.The Lady Panthers did claw back. After knocking in seven runs in game one Wednesday, DeShawnna Bryant walked to lead off the fourth. She came around to score after singles from Alyssa McCauley, Rylee Prilling, and Denver Ringo. A pickoff at second left the other runners stranded. Ava Kaiser doubled to lead off the fifth inning. She came around to score on a single from Katherine Mazouch for a 6-2 score. Halle Post made it as far as third base in the sixth inning.Kaiser's double was the lone Lady Panther extra-base hit in the loss. Ringo singled twice and drove in a run, Mazouch had the RBI-single, and Paige Thexton singled and walked. The Lady Panthers struck out seven times and recorded seven hits.McCauley threw all seven innings in game one for the win. She pitched the first two innings of the championship game, allowing three earned runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. Braelyn Turner allowed three hits and struck out two in four shutout innings to close out the season.Great Bend ends its season at 11-11.

Lady Panther softball season comes to close with 6-2 loss

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684290054741.jpeg" alt="trackranksgbpostweek7-2023.jpg" />
 <figcaption>trackranksgbpostweek7-2023.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure>

Area track leaders through May 16

Softball - Game 1- Hoisington 11, Lyons 1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Game 2- Hoisington 6, Ellsworth 0

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581739911992.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>Softball - Game 1- Hoisington 11, Lyons 1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Game 2- Hoisington 6, Ellsworth 0<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/1tdorq1k/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Hoisington softball moves on to Region Championship game

Things were not ideal for the Panther baseball team heading into regional action Tuesday in Wichita. The Panthers entered their bracket as the No. 2 seed, but with five losses and their last six games, and a 1-3 combined record against Hays and potential opponent Kapaun-Mt. Carmel. But the bracket played out in Great Bend's favor. The Panthers took down Hays 3-1 in game one. Andover, with just seven wins on the season, knocked off top-seed Kapaun 4-3 in eight innings in the other semifinal. Great Bend punched its ticket to state with a 4-3 walk-off against Andover in the late game Tuesday night.

The Trojans carried all the momentum from the round-one upset into the first inning against Great Bend for a 3-0 lead after one at-bat. Edwin Chavez, who came up with two of the three Panther hits and drove in two runs against Hays, put down the game-winning attempt in the championship game.

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Tyler Stuhlsatz walked with one out, then came around to score on a two-out double from Carson Umphres. JJ Grove led off the extra frame with a single. Trenton Kern followed with a single, and Grove was able to score on an error off Chavez's bat to win the regional.

Umphres homered in the sixth inning to get the Panthers within striking distance. Hunter Herrman singled and scored to get Great Bend on the board in the third inning.

After allowing the three earned runs in the first inning, Herrman settled in to go 5.2 innings with six hits allowed and six strikeouts. Stuhlsatz picked up the win, throwing the final 2.1 innings and striking out two while allowing no runs on two hits.

Umphres proved to be the difference offensively with the home run, double, two RBIs, and run scored. Kern singled three times and walked once. Stuhlsatz singled and walked, coming around to score once.

The Class 5A State Baseball Championships will be held at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium May 25-26. The Panthers will enter the bracket with a 13-9 record.

The Great Bend Panther baseball team advanced to the Class 5A State Baseball Tournament after picking up a 4-3 win over Andover Tuesday, May 16 in the Regional Championship game.

Earlier Tuesday, the Panthers defeated Hays 3-1 in the first game of the playoffs.

Great Bend will play May 25 at Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in the opening round of the State Tournament.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684290029512.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend PostThings were not ideal for the Panther baseball team heading into regional action Tuesday in Wichita. The Panthers entered their bracket as the No. 2 seed, but with five losses and their last six games, and a 1-3 combined record against Hays and potential opponent Kapaun-Mt. Carmel. But the bracket played out in Great Bend's favor. The Panthers took down Hays 3-1 in game one. Andover, with just seven wins on the season, knocked off top-seed Kapaun 4-3 in eight innings in the other semifinal. Great Bend punched its ticket to state with a 4-3 walk-off against Andover in the late game Tuesday night.The Trojans carried all the momentum from the round-one upset into the first inning against Great Bend for a 3-0 lead after one at-bat. Edwin Chavez, who came up with two of the three Panther hits and drove in two runs against Hays, put down the game-winning attempt in the championship game.Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Tyler Stuhlsatz walked with one out, then came around to score on a two-out double from Carson Umphres. JJ Grove led off the extra frame with a single. Trenton Kern followed with a single, and Grove was able to score on an error off Chavez's bat to win the regional.Umphres homered in the sixth inning to get the Panthers within striking distance. Hunter Herrman singled and scored to get Great Bend on the board in the third inning.After allowing the three earned runs in the first inning, Herrman settled in to go 5.2 innings with six hits allowed and six strikeouts. Stuhlsatz picked up the win, throwing the final 2.1 innings and striking out two while allowing no runs on two hits.Umphres proved to be the difference offensively with the home run, double, two RBIs, and run scored. Kern singled three times and walked once. Stuhlsatz singled and walked, coming around to score once.The Class 5A State Baseball Championships will be held at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium May 25-26. The Panthers will enter the bracket with a 13-9 record.___________The Great Bend Panther baseball team advanced to the Class 5A State Baseball Tournament after picking up a 4-3 win over Andover Tuesday, May 16 in the Regional Championship game.Earlier Tuesday, the Panthers defeated Hays 3-1 in the first game of the playoffs.Great Bend will play May 25 at Eck Stadium at Wichita State University in the opening round of the State Tournament.

Great Bend Panther baseball team heading to State!

The Larned High School baseball teams advanced to the Class 4A State Baseball Tournament with a 1-0 win over Pratt on Tuesday in the Region Championship game. The Indians advanced to the region championship in Pratt by picking up a 2-0 victory against Chapman in the opening round earlier in the day. Larned, now 14-7 on the season, will play May 25 in the opening round of the 4A State Tournament in Salina.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1684290796231.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Larned High School baseball teams advanced to the Class 4A State Baseball Tournament with a 1-0 win over Pratt on Tuesday in the Region Championship game. The Indians advanced to the region championship in Pratt by picking up a 2-0 victory against Chapman in the opening round earlier in the day. Larned, now 14-7 on the season, will play May 25 in the opening round of the 4A State Tournament in Salina.

Larned baseball advances to the State Tournament!

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a two-run double in Kansas City's five-run second, Brady Singer pitched six solid innings and the Royals beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.

The Royals jumped on starter Seth Lugo (3-3) in the second, with Bobby Witt Jr., Nate Eaton and Matt Duffy also driving in runs. Lugo gave up five runs on four hits in his two innings. The Padres have lost eight of 10.

“That was really good for us tonight. That is a great win, you know, against a team like the Padres. They are a really good team,” Perez said. “We scored five runs, and we got the game.”

Singer (3-4) lasted six innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, two of which were earned. Scott Barlow got his fifth save with a scoreless ninth.

"The fastball had really good late movement on it. I was able to move that around the zone. The slider helped me a lot tonight," Singer said. “I think I attacked the zone pretty well tonight.”

San Diego had a defensive highlight in the seventh when Fernando Tatis Jr. threw-out Vinnie Pasquantino trying to go from first to third on a single. After the play Tatis acted like he was putting a pistol back in a holster.

“I wasn't a big fan,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of the attempt by Pasquantino to take third base. “We know he (Tatis) is super talented in every aspect of the game and throwing is certainly nothing he is lacking.”

The Padres scored two unearned runs in the fifth after consecutive errors by Kansas City’s MJ Melendez and Matt Duffy.

“Those things are going to happen. You just have to make pitches and pick them up,” Singer said of the errors. “That is just part of baseball. ... You have got to be able to overcome that.”

Kansas City reliever Ardolis Chapman pitched the seventh and threw a 104-mph fastball to Jake Cronenworth, which ties the fastest pitch of the 2023 season.

“That's amazing,” Perez said of Champan's feat.

San Diego continues to struggle offensively and had two runners picked off first base in the game.

“It's just a little bit the way we've been playing,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of his team's losing skid. “It's just not in sync all the way around. You don't expect base-running to cost you."

Royals RHP Max Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and RHP Jackson Kowar was called up from Omaha. Kowar had a 7.84 ERA over 20-2/3 innings coming out of the Omaha bullpen this season.

A day after Padres 3B Manny Machado was hit by a pitch on the left hand, he was out of the starting lineup Tuesday. Machado is experiencing soreness and swelling, but X-rays came back negative. It seems likely the Padres will sit Machado as a precaution on Wednesday for the series finale ahead of an off-day Thursday.

Padres RHP Yu Darvis (2-2, 3.16) gets the start to close the three-game series.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a two-run double in Kansas City's five-run second, Brady Singer pitched six solid innings and the Royals beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing streak.The Royals jumped on starter Seth Lugo (3-3) in the second, with Bobby Witt Jr., Nate Eaton and Matt Duffy also driving in runs. Lugo gave up five runs on four hits in his two innings. The Padres have lost eight of 10.“That was really good for us tonight. That is a great win, you know, against a team like the Padres. They are a really good team,” Perez said. “We scored five runs, and we got the game.”Singer (3-4) lasted six innings, giving up seven hits and four runs, two of which were earned. Scott Barlow got his fifth save with a scoreless ninth."The fastball had really good late movement on it. I was able to move that around the zone. The slider helped me a lot tonight," Singer said. “I think I attacked the zone pretty well tonight.”San Diego had a defensive highlight in the seventh when Fernando Tatis Jr. threw-out Vinnie Pasquantino trying to go from first to third on a single. After the play Tatis acted like he was putting a pistol back in a holster.“I wasn't a big fan,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of the attempt by Pasquantino to take third base. “We know he (Tatis) is super talented in every aspect of the game and throwing is certainly nothing he is lacking.”The Padres scored two unearned runs in the fifth after consecutive errors by Kansas City’s MJ Melendez and Matt Duffy.“Those things are going to happen. You just have to make pitches and pick them up,” Singer said of the errors. “That is just part of baseball. ... You have got to be able to overcome that.”Kansas City reliever Ardolis Chapman pitched the seventh and threw a 104-mph fastball to Jake Cronenworth, which ties the fastest pitch of the 2023 season.“That's amazing,” Perez said of Champan's feat.San Diego continues to struggle offensively and had two runners picked off first base in the game.“It's just a little bit the way we've been playing,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said of his team's losing skid. “It's just not in sync all the way around. You don't expect base-running to cost you."KC MAKES A MOVERoyals RHP Max Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Omaha, and RHP Jackson Kowar was called up from Omaha. Kowar had a 7.84 ERA over 20-2/3 innings coming out of the Omaha bullpen this season.TRAINER’S ROOMA day after Padres 3B Manny Machado was hit by a pitch on the left hand, he was out of the starting lineup Tuesday. Machado is experiencing soreness and swelling, but X-rays came back negative. It seems likely the Padres will sit Machado as a precaution on Wednesday for the series finale ahead of an off-day Thursday.UP NEXTPadres RHP Yu Darvis (2-2, 3.16) gets the start to close the three-game series.

Perez has 2-run double in Kansas City's 5-run 2nd, Royals beat Padres 5-4

SAN DIEGO (AP) —
Salvador Perez hit a two-run double in Kansas City’s five-run
second, Brady Singer pitched six solid innings and the Royals beat
the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing
streak. The Royals jumped on starter Seth Lugo (3-3) in the second,
with Bobby Witt Jr., Nate Eaton and Matt Duffy also driving in runs.
Lugo gave up five runs on four hits in his two innings. The Padres
have lost eight of 10. Singer (3-4) lasted six innings, giving up
seven hits and four runs, two of which were earned. Scott Barlow got
his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. San Diego had a defensive
highlight in the seventh when Fernando Tatis Jr. threw-out Vinnie
Pasquantino trying to go from first to third on a single.

ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Nolan Arenado homered for the fifth straight game for the St. Louis
Cardinals in a 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday night, with Joey
Wiemer and Brian Anderson homering for the Brewers. Milwaukee starter
Wade Miley came out with a left lat strain in the second inning after
throwing 22 pitches. Miley pitched in just nine games last season
when he was with the Chicago Cubs and endured shoulder and elbow
injuries. St. Louis starter Jordan Montgomery (2-6) pitched 5 1/3
innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and seven
strikeouts. He is 0-6 in seven starts since winning at Milwaukee on
April 8. Joel Payamps (2-0), the fourth of six pitchers, got the
victory with 1 2/3 innings of work.

DENVER (AP) — Nick
Senzel hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping
the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on
Tuesday night. Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar ended an 0-for-8 skid
before breaking up a scoreless game in the bottom of the sixth inning
with his third home run of the season. He connected on a 2-1 offering
from the Reds’ Brandon Williamson, who was making his major league
debut and had retired 14 in a row. 


Williamson, a
25-year-old left-hander, struck out six in 5 2/3 innings and had
allowed only a single to Charlie Blackmon in the first inning before
Tovar hit a 415-foot shot to right-center.

TORONTO (AP) —
Domingo Germán insisted he only had rosin on his hand, but umpire
James Hoye said he felt something stickier on the fingers of the New
York Yankees right-hander. Germán was ejected from a game against
the Toronto Blue Jays after umpires checked his hands for banned
sticky stuff. Germán’s ejection, likely to trigger a 10-game
suspension, was the fourth since Major League Baseball started its
crackdown on prohibited grip aids two years ago and the second this
season. It occurred during the second game of an increasingly
acrimonious series between AL East rivals. Aaron Judge was booed
during his first two at-bats following allegations of sign stealing
Monday.

CHICAGO (AP) —
Victor Wembanyama is now set to begin his NBA career with the San
Antonio Spurs, after they won the NBA draft lottery and the No. 1
overall pick on Tuesday night. The Spurs were one of three teams with
the best odds — 14% — to land the No. 1 pick, which they’ll
almost certainly use on Wembanyama. The 7-foot-3 French 19-year-old
is one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history and will be
expected to make an immediate impact on the league.

DENVER (AP) —
Nikola Jokic's powerful display at both ends of the court propelled
the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Lakers 132-126 in the opener
of the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets led by as many as 21
points before the Lakers made a late push before falling short of
winning an opener on the road for the third time in these playoffs.
Anthony Davis scored 40 points for the Lakers and LeBron James came
up one assist shy of a triple double to go with his 26 points and 12
rebounds.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) —
The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Doc Rivers following a third
straight exit in the second round of the playoffs. It was the second
time in that span that he lost a series lead and a Game 7. Rivers led
the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel
Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals
or beyond. The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinal series lead against Boston
before dropping Game 6 at home and were crushed in Game 7 on the
road. Rivers fell to 6-10 in Game 7s. He had two years left on his
contract. He won the 2008 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics.

UNDATED (AP) — The
NHL is about to stage a very non-traditional pair of conference
finals. Every game will be played in the Sun Belt for the first time.
There is not an Original Six franchise in sight. Carolina will take
on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, with Game 1
on Thursday night. The Dallas Stars and the Golden Knights open the
West final Friday night in Las Vegas. Even with Sun Belt teams
filling every spot in the finals for the first time, this quartet
isn’t new to the playoffs. All have made it to a Stanley Cup Final.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683464199634.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SAN DIEGO (AP) —
Salvador Perez hit a two-run double in Kansas City’s five-run
second, Brady Singer pitched six solid innings and the Royals beat
the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Tuesday night to snap a four-game losing
streak. The Royals jumped on starter Seth Lugo (3-3) in the second,
with Bobby Witt Jr., Nate Eaton and Matt Duffy also driving in runs.
Lugo gave up five runs on four hits in his two innings. The Padres
have lost eight of 10. Singer (3-4) lasted six innings, giving up
seven hits and four runs, two of which were earned. Scott Barlow got
his fifth save with a scoreless ninth. San Diego had a defensive
highlight in the seventh when Fernando Tatis Jr. threw-out Vinnie
Pasquantino trying to go from first to third on a single.ST. LOUIS (AP) —
Nolan Arenado homered for the fifth straight game for the St. Louis
Cardinals in a 3-2 loss to Milwaukee on Tuesday night, with Joey
Wiemer and Brian Anderson homering for the Brewers. Milwaukee starter
Wade Miley came out with a left lat strain in the second inning after
throwing 22 pitches. Miley pitched in just nine games last season
when he was with the Chicago Cubs and endured shoulder and elbow
injuries. St. Louis starter Jordan Montgomery (2-6) pitched 5 1/3
innings, allowing three runs on eight hits with a walk and seven
strikeouts. He is 0-6 in seven starts since winning at Milwaukee on
April 8. Joel Payamps (2-0), the fourth of six pitchers, got the
victory with 1 2/3 innings of work.DENVER (AP) — Nick
Senzel hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, helping
the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rockies 3-1 on
Tuesday night. Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar ended an 0-for-8 skid
before breaking up a scoreless game in the bottom of the sixth inning
with his third home run of the season. He connected on a 2-1 offering
from the Reds’ Brandon Williamson, who was making his major league
debut and had retired 14 in a row. 
Williamson, a
25-year-old left-hander, struck out six in 5 2/3 innings and had
allowed only a single to Charlie Blackmon in the first inning before
Tovar hit a 415-foot shot to right-center.TORONTO (AP) —
Domingo Germán insisted he only had rosin on his hand, but umpire
James Hoye said he felt something stickier on the fingers of the New
York Yankees right-hander. Germán was ejected from a game against
the Toronto Blue Jays after umpires checked his hands for banned
sticky stuff. Germán’s ejection, likely to trigger a 10-game
suspension, was the fourth since Major League Baseball started its
crackdown on prohibited grip aids two years ago and the second this
season. It occurred during the second game of an increasingly
acrimonious series between AL East rivals. Aaron Judge was booed
during his first two at-bats following allegations of sign stealing
Monday.CHICAGO (AP) —
Victor Wembanyama is now set to begin his NBA career with the San
Antonio Spurs, after they won the NBA draft lottery and the No. 1
overall pick on Tuesday night. The Spurs were one of three teams with
the best odds — 14% — to land the No. 1 pick, which they’ll
almost certainly use on Wembanyama. The 7-foot-3 French 19-year-old
is one of the most highly touted prospects in NBA history and will be
expected to make an immediate impact on the league.DENVER (AP) —
Nikola Jokic's powerful display at both ends of the court propelled
the Denver Nuggets past the Los Angeles Lakers 132-126 in the opener
of the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets led by as many as 21
points before the Lakers made a late push before falling short of
winning an opener on the road for the third time in these playoffs.
Anthony Davis scored 40 points for the Lakers and LeBron James came
up one assist shy of a triple double to go with his 26 points and 12
rebounds.PHILADELPHIA (AP) —
The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Doc Rivers following a third
straight exit in the second round of the playoffs. It was the second
time in that span that he lost a series lead and a Game 7. Rivers led
the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind NBA MVP Joel
Embiid but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals
or beyond. The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinal series lead against Boston
before dropping Game 6 at home and were crushed in Game 7 on the
road. Rivers fell to 6-10 in Game 7s. He had two years left on his
contract. He won the 2008 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics.UNDATED (AP) — The
NHL is about to stage a very non-traditional pair of conference
finals. Every game will be played in the Sun Belt for the first time.
There is not an Original Six franchise in sight. Carolina will take
on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final, with Game 1
on Thursday night. The Dallas Stars and the Golden Knights open the
West final Friday night in Las Vegas. Even with Sun Belt teams
filling every spot in the finals for the first time, this quartet
isn’t new to the playoffs. All have made it to a Stanley Cup Final.TUESDAY SCORESINTERLEAGUEFinal	Detroit	4	Pittsburgh	0	Final	Tampa
Bay	8	N.Y. Mets	5	Final	Texas	7	Atlanta	4	Final	Houston	7	Chicago
Cubs	3	Final	Kansas
City	5	San Diego	4	Final	Minnesota	5	L.A.
Dodgers	1	Final	Oakland	9	Arizona	8	AMERICAN LEAGUEFinal	Baltimore	7	L.A.
Angels	3	Final	Boston	9	Seattle	4	Final	N.Y.
Yankees	6	Toronto	3	Final	Chicago White
Sox	8	Cleveland	3	NATIONAL LEAGUEFinal	Miami	5	Washington	4	Final	Milwaukee	3	St.
Louis	2	Final	Cincinnati	3	Colorado	1	Final	San
Francisco	4	Philadelphia	3	NATIONAL
BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFSFinal	Denver	132	L.A.
Lakers	126

Wednesday Sports Headlines and Scores presented by Barton Community College

Baseball: Game 1- Great Bend 3, Hays 1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 2 - Great Bend 4, Andover 3

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886602159.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Baseball: Game 1- Great Bend 3, Hays 1 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 2 - Great Bend 4, Andover 3<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/zzvffg3y/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Baseball: Game 1 - Great Bend 3, Hays 1  /  Game 2 - Great Bend 4, Andover 3

Baseball - Game 1- Larned 2, Chapman 0 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 2 - Larned 1, Pratt 0

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600485516602.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Baseball - Game 1- Larned 2, Chapman 0 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Game 2 - Larned 1, Pratt 0<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/ncg02xwc/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Baseball -Game 1- Larned 2 Chapman 0 -Game 2- Larned 1 Pratt 0

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600485516602.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Softball - Game 1- Abilene 8 Larned 6<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/hpzskm35/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

Softball - Game 1- Abilene 8 Larned 6

Regional baseball for Great Bend likely meant a pair of rematches. Playing as the No. 7 seed overall in the Class 5A West Regional, the Panthers drew a first-round game against rival Hays. The teams split a pair of one-run games five weeks ago. With the season on the line Tuesday in Wichita, the Panthers downed the Indians 3-1.

Great Bend struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Owen Kaiser led off the frame with a walk before Hunter Herrman took his spot on the bases. Herrman scored the game's first run on a groundout from Trenton Kern. Ian Premer walked and scored on a single from Edwin Chavez.

Hays took advantage of an error on the fourth inning for its lone run of the day. The Panthers utilized another walk to Kern in the bottom of the frame. He scored on another single from Chavez for what proved to be the final run of the game.

Chavez provided two of the three Panther hits in the win, both RBI-singles. Premer walked, singled, and scored the other run.

Carson Umphres was effective on the mound, allowing no earned runs on three hits in a complete game. He struck out three.

The Panthers improve to 12-9 on the season and get the winner of the Kapaun/Andover game in tonight's regional final. The Panthers opened the season with a pair of 8-7, 7-1 losses to Kapaun.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673886582717.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend PostRegional baseball for Great Bend likely meant a pair of rematches. Playing as the No. 7 seed overall in the Class 5A West Regional, the Panthers drew a first-round game against rival Hays. The teams split a pair of one-run games five weeks ago. With the season on the line Tuesday in Wichita, the Panthers downed the Indians 3-1.Great Bend struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning. Owen Kaiser led off the frame with a walk before Hunter Herrman took his spot on the bases. Herrman scored the game's first run on a groundout from Trenton Kern. Ian Premer walked and scored on a single from Edwin Chavez.Hays took advantage of an error on the fourth inning for its lone run of the day. The Panthers utilized another walk to Kern in the bottom of the frame. He scored on another single from Chavez for what proved to be the final run of the game.Chavez provided two of the three Panther hits in the win, both RBI-singles. Premer walked, singled, and scored the other run.Carson Umphres was effective on the mound, allowing no earned runs on three hits in a complete game. He struck out three.The Panthers improve to 12-9 on the season and get the winner of the Kapaun/Andover game in tonight's regional final. The Panthers opened the season with a pair of 8-7, 7-1 losses to Kapaun.

Panther baseball advances to regional finals

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitch clock has sped up baseball as hoped — and it might be leading to more exciting endings, too.

A quarter of the way through Major League Baseball's first season with the pitch timer, relief pitchers seem to be bearing the most stress from it, with save conversions dropping to 61.4% from 67.8% at a similar point last season.

The save percentage is near the bottom range of the past decade, which averaged 65.1%, MLB said Monday. The high was 70% in 2015 and the low 61% in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

“Whenever relievers are coming in, it’s mostly a stressful situation,” said Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, whose time between pitches dropped from to 14.8 seconds from 20.5 last season. “It was nice before when you did have those extra few seconds.

“Now you’ve just got to get your thoughts together and go,” the 2022 All-Star added. "I haven’t noticed it too much but yeah, I guess in the times I’ve struggled, a couple extra seconds would have been nice.”

The average time of nine-inning games fell to 2 hours, 37 minutes from 3:05. That is on track to be the fastest since 1984 and would result in an everyday player being on the field about 80 fewer hours this season.

Batting average is up 14 percentage points for left-handed hitters and nine percentage points overall. Scoring has increased 8% and stolen bases are up 40%. The clock has caused an average of 0.72 violations per game.

Just over a quarter of the season had been played through Sunday, 610 of 2,430 scheduled games. There had been 307 saves in 500 save chances — a 10-year-high in opportunities.

Pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base, with a limit of two disengagements from the rubber per plate appearance.

“I think back-end relievers, guys that have closed in the past, I think that’s been the biggest adjustment for them, just because they can’t reset,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “There’s so much adrenaline, the moment’s so big at that point.”

Starters have been impacted, too. Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox has cut his time between pitches to 16.4 seconds from 20.7.

“It’s been useful for just like developing rhythm, not letting myself think too much and take too much time,” he said. “It’s like you’ve got to get the ball back and get it going and fire it. You can’t be overthinking.”

Other rules added for this season also seem to be having intended results, including a limit on infield shifts that requires two infielders on either side of second base and within the outer boundary of the infield, as well as an increase in the size of bases to 18-inch squares from 15-by-15.

The big league batting average of .247 was up from .236 at this point last season, when final average was .243. Offense usually increases in warmer summer months, and last year’s first month was plagued by unusually cold and wet weather in a significiant number of cities.

Left-handed batting average is up 14 points to .245, and there are more runs per game (9.1 from 8.4) and stolen bases per game (1.4 from 1.0).

The stolen base success rate of 78.4% was the highest on record, up from 74.1% at a similar point last year.

“Pace of play, pro. Dislike everything that leads to more stolen bases, hate that,” said Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner. “For myself, obviously, but for catchers, as well, it sucks. People look at the stolen base rate and go directly to catchers, but there’s so much more that goes into it.”

Of 437 timer violations, 287 were called on pitchers (65.7%), 126 on batters (28.8%) and five on catchers (1.1%).

San Diego’s Joe Musgrove leads pitchers with five violations, followed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene with four. Among batters, Boston’s Yu Chang, San Francisco’s J.D. Davis, Atlanta’s Eddie Rosario and Pittsburgh’s Carlos Santana are tied for the high of three apiece.

NEW YORK (AP) — The pitch clock has sped up baseball as hoped — and it might be leading to more exciting endings, too.A quarter of the way through Major League Baseball's first season with the pitch timer, relief pitchers seem to be bearing the most stress from it, with save conversions dropping to 61.4% from 67.8% at a similar point last season.The save percentage is near the bottom range of the past decade, which averaged 65.1%, MLB said Monday. The high was 70% in 2015 and the low 61% in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.“Whenever relievers are coming in, it’s mostly a stressful situation,” said Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, whose time between pitches dropped from to 14.8 seconds from 20.5 last season. “It was nice before when you did have those extra few seconds.“Now you’ve just got to get your thoughts together and go,” the 2022 All-Star added. "I haven’t noticed it too much but yeah, I guess in the times I’ve struggled, a couple extra seconds would have been nice.”The average time of nine-inning games fell to 2 hours, 37 minutes from 3:05. That is on track to be the fastest since 1984 and would result in an everyday player being on the field about 80 fewer hours this season.Batting average is up 14 percentage points for left-handed hitters and nine percentage points overall. Scoring has increased 8% and stolen bases are up 40%. The clock has caused an average of 0.72 violations per game.Just over a quarter of the season had been played through Sunday, 610 of 2,430 scheduled games. There had been 307 saves in 500 save chances — a 10-year-high in opportunities.Pitchers have 15 seconds to deliver a pitch with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base, with a limit of two disengagements from the rubber per plate appearance.“I think back-end relievers, guys that have closed in the past, I think that’s been the biggest adjustment for them, just because they can’t reset,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “There’s so much adrenaline, the moment’s so big at that point.”Starters have been impacted, too. Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox has cut his time between pitches to 16.4 seconds from 20.7.“It’s been useful for just like developing rhythm, not letting myself think too much and take too much time,” he said. “It’s like you’ve got to get the ball back and get it going and fire it. You can’t be overthinking.”Other rules added for this season also seem to be having intended results, including a limit on infield shifts that requires two infielders on either side of second base and within the outer boundary of the infield, as well as an increase in the size of bases to 18-inch squares from 15-by-15.The big league batting average of .247 was up from .236 at this point last season, when final average was .243. Offense usually increases in warmer summer months, and last year’s first month was plagued by unusually cold and wet weather in a significiant number of cities.Left-handed batting average is up 14 points to .245, and there are more runs per game (9.1 from 8.4) and stolen bases per game (1.4 from 1.0).The stolen base success rate of 78.4% was the highest on record, up from 74.1% at a similar point last year.“Pace of play, pro. Dislike everything that leads to more stolen bases, hate that,” said Cleveland pitcher Shane Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner. “For myself, obviously, but for catchers, as well, it sucks. People look at the stolen base rate and go directly to catchers, but there’s so much more that goes into it.”Of 437 timer violations, 287 were called on pitchers (65.7%), 126 on batters (28.8%) and five on catchers (1.1%).San Diego’s Joe Musgrove leads pitchers with five violations, followed by Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene with four. Among batters, Boston’s Yu Chang, San Francisco’s J.D. Davis, Atlanta’s Eddie Rosario and Pittsburgh’s Carlos Santana are tied for the high of three apiece.

MLB's new pitch clock may be leading to more blown saves

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

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 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports InfoNine members from the Barton Community College softball team earned Division I All-KJCCC and All-Region VI post-season honors as announced last week.Outfielder Halie Stoneking and utility player Sydni Williams headlined the selections with first team honors. Pitcher Jessica Morgan, third baseman Calli McConnell, outfielder Jaysa Anderson, and designated player Jenna Henderson were named to the second team. Garnering honorable mention distinctions were pitcher Kayla Beers, catcher Leslie Ramos, and outfielder Laci Dryden.The Cougars placed 4th in KJCCC standings at 22-10, concluding Carson DuBose's first collegiate season as a head coach at 30-22.Halie Stoneking – 1st Team OutfielderStoneking capped her Barton career with multiple top ten program achievements, as well as, leaving her name amongst the best in program history.Batting a team second best .430 at mostly the top of the lineup all season, Stoneking also drew 11 walks towards a .476 on-base percentage leading to a program single season 4th most 66 runs on the season.The sophomore from Milliken, Colorado, was even better in conference action batting a league 5th best .495 in finishing among the top ten in most offensive categories.At one point Stoneking carried a 19-game hit streak, a top five historical Cougar achievement, scoring runs in 18 of the games in the stretch and led the squad with eleven games of three or more hits.Leading the team with 14 fence clearers for the 6th most in program single season achievements, the all-around performer also stole 21 bases for 7th most in a season. Stoneking was second on the squad in slugging percentage (.791), hits (74), triples (4), and total bases (136) while ranking in the team's top five in doubles (12), runs batted in (50), and hit by pitch (6).Donning the Cougar uniform for three seasons due to Covid exceptions, Stoneking' closes her Barton career as the leader in at-bats (450) and runs (148), second in doubles (34) and stolen bases (41), third in hits (152) and home runs (26), and within the top five of triples (7), RBI (100), and hit by pitch (12).Sydni Williams – 1st Team UtilityA second team selection last year, Williams was one of two multi-dimensional players for the Cougars, spending much of the time at first base but also inside the center circle.Batting a team fourth best .365, Williams was within the top five in most offensive categories including leading the squad with a program single season 4th most 26 walks.For the season the sophomore had a .463 on-base percentage with a .730 slugging percentage, collected 54 hits including 15 doubles and team second best 13 home runs and 55 runs batted in including a pair of 6 RBI games.Transferring to Barton from an initial season at Cowley College, Williams also received a Covid exemption season and made the most of two seasons in the Cougar uniform to make an impact on the career chart of third in runs batted in (103) and walks drawn (51) while ranking fifth in runs scored (92) and home runs (22).In the center circle, the Wichita, Kansas, native appeared in eight games, starting six of those with a 4-2 record with a 3.89 ERA. In her 36 innings pitched, Williams struck out 24 for a 4.67 strikeout-per-seven innings average.Jaysa Anderson – 2nd Team OutfielderA first team selection her initial season, Anderson's sophomore campaign was arguably even better in collecting a hit in 45 of her 51 games to lead the Cougars in multiple categories including a program second best ever .462 batting average featuring a program record 30-game hit streak.Anderson closed out her Barton career batting .625 in final seven games, having a multi-hit performance in each going 15-of-24 with two home runs and 11 runs batted in.In addition, the Wichita, Kansas, native led the squad with an .830 slugging percentage, .486 on-base percentage, connecting for 79 hits and 5 triples for 142 total bases. Anderson also ranked second on the team with 17 doubles and third in runs scored (49), runs batted in (53), and home runs (12) while defensively committing just two errors in 51 games.Jessica Morgan – 2nd Team PitcherA sophomore pitcher from Lewistown, Montana, Morgan had a 9-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 19 appearances and 13 starts. In conference play Morgan's 39.1 innings of work produced a 5-1 record and a 2.31 ERA, striking out 49 in walking just 12.In total of 75 innings in the circle, Morgan allowed 78 hits and 35 earned runs with 91 strikeouts and 29 walks for an 8.49 strikeout-per-seven innings, finishing her Barton career among the program's top eight with 234 strikeouts at a 9.37 per seven inning fanning.Morgan also had 12 trips to the plate, producing four hits including a double and home run in driving four across the dish.Calli McConnell – 2nd Team Third BaseMcConnell solidified the hot corner all season long while being a mainstay in the heart of the lineup.The freshman from Wichita, Kansas, launched a 13-game hit streak early in her Barton career with five multi-hit games driving in 28 runs in the stretch.McConnell tied for the team lead with 18 run producing games, atop the squad's chart with 66 runs batted in for the fourth most run production in a program single season, before concluding the season on a five game .529 average hit streak.Batting a team third best .393 overall, McConnell drove in runs behind her team third best 66 hits, fourth best 10 home runs, and connecting on 20 doubles for the fifth most two-bag hits in a single season of program history.Jenna Henderson – 2nd Team Designated PlayerLike Williams, Henderson was another multi-dimensional player for the Cougars, mostly for her being in the lineup each day for her at-bats but also manning first base when Williams was in the circle or spinning the sphere herself.At the plate as the temperature and meaning of games increased, so did Henderson in the final month of the season with a team second best .431 average behind Anderson and a team leading 7 home runs and 24 runs batted in.Overall Henderson batted .324 with a .694 slugging percentage with a team fourth best 13 doubles. The Salina, Kansas, native also belted 9 home runs, four coming in a consecutive stretch late in the season, drove in 36 runs and drew 18 walks for a .459 on-base percentage.In the circle Henderson made 20 appearances, starting 18 in compiling a 7-10 record and 3.99 ERA in striking out 79 in a team leading 86 innings for a 6.43 strikeouts-per-seven.Kayla Beers – Honorable Mention PitcherBeers led the team with 25 appearances, starting form nine and coming in relief in the others. Hurling a team second most 67 innings, Beers struck out 63 for a 6.58 strikeout-per-seven in completing the year at 6-4 with a 4.81 ERA.A third year sophomore from the Covid exemption, the Terrell, Texas, native finished her career in the Barton circle top ten on the program list with 28 wins against 22 losses, pitching just shy of 298 innings with a 4.54 ERA with 256 strikeouts to rank top five of the program all-time achieves.Beers also had the opportunity to step to the plate eight times in her finale season, making the most of "Sophomore Day" on April 16th against Colby delivering her first collegiate hit with a run producing double. Beers' lone other hit came eleven days later with a leadoff single helping her cause in an 11-4 victory over Dodge City.Leslie Ramos – Honorable Mention CatcherA freshman catcher from Grand Island, Nebraska, Ramos was the Cougars' main dish manager throughout the season.Improving consistently throughout her initial collegiate season, Ramos was 8-of-16 with six RBIs in the last six games of the year, finishing at .330 with 8 doubles, 3 triples and home run in driving in 23 runs in her 44 games played.Like many of her teammates throughout the year, Ramos also left her name on the Barton record book beginning April 5th by wearing the badge of honor for the 13th time of the year to set a program record, finishing the season getting plunked 17 times total in drawing to within two of the all-time career record.Laci Dryden – Honorable Mention OutfielderA freshman outfielder from Wichita, Kansas, Dryden spent time in and out of the lineup early in her initial collegiate season before moving permanently into the starting left field position for 41 of the team's 52 games.Improving every month including a .435 average for the month of April, Dryden finished with a .327 percentage out of the No. 2 hole of the lineup with 37 hits, 10 of those doubles with 4 triples and 4 home runs in driving in 21 runs. Defensively Dryden committed just one error in 26 conference games, finishing with just 3 overall for a .923 fielding percentage.TEAM IMPACTSThe post-season selections helped Barton to a record book impact year including scoring a program single game most 24 runs on April 30th against Northwest Kansas Technical College.The Cougars batted a program 5th best .351 throughout the year for a history leading 119 doubles and 1.38 home runs per contest, drew a second most 175 walks, third best 8.04 runs and 7.50 RBI per game.Led by Ramos' record breaking hit batsman total, the Cougars also had the dubious honor of leading the nation in the category for most of the year before settling for a third most 58 to shatter the program record in averaging 1.12 per contest.