Great Bend Post Sports
Tuesday's matchup at the Great Bend Sports Complex was a big one as the unbeaten and seventh-ranked Panther baseball team played host to No. 6 Kapaun Mt. Carmel for a doubleheader. The Panthers walked off the Crusaders 8-7 in game one but dropped game two 2-0.
Great Bend jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings in game one. Kapaun scored the next seven runs, including three in the sixth to pull ahead 7-4. The Panthers strung together three straight singles from Hunter Herrman, Daxton Minton, and JJ Grove in the bottom of the sixth. Herrman scored on Grove's hit, and a fielder's choice off the bat of Koehn Ribordy scored Minton. Ian Premer singled in Ribordy to tie the game.
The 7-7 tie remained until the bottom of the ninth. Premer led things off with a single, moving to second on a sacrifice from Owen Kaiser. Trenton Kern kept the inning alive with a one-out walk, then Mohr provided the heroic hit to drive in Premer for the win.
Ribordy recorded just one out on the mound but picked up the win. Minton allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings with two strikeouts and three walks, and Herrman allowed five earned runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks in his two innings. Carson Umphres threw 3.1 innings, striking out three and allowing two earned runs on four hits.
Grove and Premer each singled three times, and Premer added a pair of walks. Ribordy singled twice, drove in two, and scored once. Kern's double was the lone Panther extra-base hit. He also walked and drove in three.
Game two proved to be nearly as thrilling as the scoreboard was full of zeroes until the seventh inning when Kapaun scored both of its runs with two outs. The Panthers nearly followed suit in the bottom half with Grove picking up a 2-out walk and Ribordy reaching on a single.
Kaiser threw all seven innings in the loss, striking out eight and allowing the two earned runs on four hits.
Premer and Ribordy split four of the six Panther hits in the loss. Kaiser doubled and Mohr added the other single.
Great Bend moves to 6-1 on the season and will host Liberal for a pair of games on Friday.