Great Bend Post Sports
There were no easy matchups at this year's Class 5A Softball State Championships in Topeka. Great Bend entered the field with a 22-6 record but still found itself opposite No. 1 seed Spring Hill in Thursday's early game. The Lady Panthers overcame an early 3-0 deficit to lead 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fourth. The Broncos scored three runs in the fifth and seven more in the sixth to advance with a 14-5 win.
Bronco senior Blaire Sommer homered in the second inning to push the Spring Hill lead to 3-0. Great Bend answered with back-to-back doubles from Alyssa McCauley and Katherine Mazouch to plate a run in the top of the third. Camdyn Post singled in Mazouch for the second Lady Panther run.
Braelyn Turner got the Lady Broncs in order in the bottom of the third. DeShawnna Bryant led off the fourth with a home run to tie the score at three. Kamdyn Koelsch followed with a single. Rylee Prilling, running for the catcher, moved around the bases on a sac bunt from Halle Post and singles from Denver Ringo and McCauley. Post came around to score on a fielder's choice off Mazouch's bat to extend the Lady Panther lead to 5-3.
Spring Hill got back a run in the bottom of the fourth before the proverbial wheels fell off for the Lady Panthers in the fifth and sixth innings.
Turner pitched into the fifth inning and returned in the sixth inning to record the final two outs. Chayla Prendergast recorded the final two outs of the fifth inning and got the first batter in the sixth inning to line out before hitting a batter and walking the next three.
Bryant homered for her lone hit. McCauley singled and doubled, and Mazouch doubled for her lone hit. The Lady Panthers had eight hits and struck out just three times in the loss.
Great Bend ends its season at 22-7.