Great Bend Post Sports
Cold, windy conditions were a little less than ideal for the Lady Panther softball team's season-opener against Pratt Saturday at the Sports Complex. Great Bend made the most of it, taking game one 5-3, and completing the sweep 5-1.
The Lady Panthers fell behind 3-0 in the third inning of game one. That scored stood until the bottom of the sixth when Paige Thexton led things off with a walk. Camdyn Post and Kya Behr followed with singles to put Great Bend on the board via Thexton's run. Katherine Mazouch singled to load the bases, and an error off the bat of Alyssa McCauley scored Post. A singled from Denver Ringo scored Behr to tie the game though Mazouch's go-ahead run was halted at the plate.
With the game tied into the bottom of the seventh, Kamryn Koelsch was hit by a pitch to open the frame. Camdyn Post reached on a bunt single, and the two runners advanced into scoring position on a throw. The freshman Behr provided the heroics with a 2-run triple to end the game in walk-off fashion.
Behr had two hits and drive in three in the win. Post had three of the seven Lady Panther hits in her varsity debut. Mazouch and Ringo provided the other two hits.
Braelyn Turner recorded all but one out in the circle but did not pick up the win. She struck out four, walked four, and allowed just one earned run on four hits. Chayla Prendergast struck out the final Pratt batter and picked up the win with Behr's big hit in the bottom of the seventh.
Game two was less dramatic as Great Bend pulled ahead 3-0 after two innings and picked up insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Prendergast threw all seven innings with three strikeouts and an unearned run on four hits.
Behr tripled and singled with an RBI. DeShawnna Bryant doubled and singled with a pair of RBIs. Post and Koelsch each singled twice, and Thexton singled, walked, and drove in a run.
The Lady Panthers are scheduled to host Manhattan and McPherson in triangular action Tuesday at the Sports Complex.