Great Bend Post Sports
Last week's triangular softball action with Manhattan and McPherson was rescheduled for Monday at the Great Bend Sports Complex. On another chilly day, the Lady Panthers suffered their first loss of the season to Manhattan in game one 4-1. Great Bend survived a comeback bid from McPherson in game two to win 8-6. The Lady Panthers move to 5-1 on the season.
After two scoreless innings, Katherine Mazouch opened the bottom of the third inning against McPherson with a single. She scored on a double from Paige Thexton, who came around to score on a double from Kya Behr for a 2-0 lead.
McPherson homered in the top of the fifth to tie the score 2-2. Thexton answered with a lead-off home run in the bottom of the frame. Behr tacked on a 3-run double in the bottom of the sixth to bump the Panther lead to 8-2.
Chayla Prendergast threw the first 6.2 innings for Great Bend, striking out five with eight walks. The Bullpups strung out seven hits for six earned runs against the freshman. With the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the top of the seventh, sophomore Braelyn Turner entered the game and struck out her first McPherson opponent to secure the win.
The teams combined for 16 walks in the game. Thexton homered, doubled, and walked, driving in three and scoring three times. Behr doubled for her two hits and also walked, driving in four runs. Mazouch, Prendergast, and DeShawnna Bryant all singled in the win, and Mazouch also walked and scored twice.
Great Bend fell into a 2-0 hole in the first inning of game one against Manhattan. Alyssa McCauley scored on an inside-the-park home run in the second inning but proved to be it for the Lady Panther offense as Manhattan plated two insurance runs later in the game.
Bryant and Denver Ringo doubled in the loss, and Halle Post and Behr provided the other two hits, both singles.
Turner threw all seven innings in the circle, striking out eight with four earned runs on nine hits.
Great Bend travels to Liberal on Tuesday.