Great Bend Post
The trek west proved to be worth it Friday for the Panther baseball team. Following a pair of impressive wins against Class 4A teams McPherson and Rose Hill on Tuesday, Great Bend opened Friday's doubleheader against Garden City with a 17-4 win, then closed out the Buffaloes 4-3 in the late game.
Despite the score, Garden City actually led most of the game in game one. Great Bend struck first in the second inning, but the Buffs plated three runs in the second and led 4-3 heading into the sixth. That's when the Panthers opened up the bats for a 14-run frame.
Panther pitching was solid all game with just two hits allowed. Hunter Herrman pitched the first 3.1 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Only one of his four runs were earned. Tyler Stuhlsatz allowed one hit and an unearned run with a pair of strikeouts in the final 2.2 innings.
Great Bend piled up 16 hits in the win. Carson Umphres tripled, singled twice, and walked, driving in a run and scoring three times. Stuhlsatz singled three times, and Ian Premer tripled and singled to finish with four RBIs and a pair of runs. Edwin Chavez and Bradley Hopkins each doubled and singled, and Chavez drove in four and scored twice. Hopkins also walked twice. Trenton Kern singled twice and accounted for four runs.
The Panthers needed another big inning to escape with the win in game two. Trailing 3-1, Great Bend scored three runs in the fifth to pick up the victory. Umphres had the big hit in that frame, helping himself out with a 3-run double. Umphres threw all seven innings for the win, allowing just two earned runs on three hits while striking out four.
Umphres and Chavez split four of the nine Panther hits in the win. Stuhlsatz and Premer each walked and singled, and Herrman, Owen Kaiser, and Carson Poe provided the other hits.
Great Bend improves to 8-4 on the season heading into Tuesday's home games against TMP.