Great Bend Post Sports
Expectations are high for the Great Bend High School baseball team after a trip to the state tournament last spring. Thursday, the Panthers brought those expectations to fruition with a 13-run first inning in their season-opener against Russell. Great Bend tacked on four runs in the third to finish off the hitless Broncos 17-0 in three innings.
JJ Grove led the season off with a walk and advanced on a single from Daxton Minton. Both players scored on an error off the bat from Carson Umphres. Ian Premer kept the train rolling with a bunt, and Owen Kaiser reached on an error that scored Umphres. Slade Mohr added a 2-run single in the frame. Peyden Oelger and Grove followed a Hunter Herrman walk with triples to bump the Panther lead to 8-0 with just one out in the book. Premer and Koehn Ribordy added RBI-singles later in the inning.
The bats got even stronger in the third inning as Kaiser homered to left field and Herrman circled the bases on an inside-the-parker.
Herrman picked up the win on the mound, allowing one walk and no hits while striking out four in his two innings of work. Minton struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Ribordy paced the Panther offense with three hits. Herrman and Kaiser homered and singled, Premer had two singles, and Grove and Oelger tripled for their lone hits.
Great Bend is scheduled to host Pratt in a doubleheader that begins Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Great Bend Sports Complex.