By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The teams looked to be evenly matched on paper. It played out that way on the field Tuesday evening at the Great Bend Sports Complex. Great Bend erased a 3-run deficit in game one and won 5-4 in walk-off fashion. The Indians took game two by the same score.
Already leading 2-1, Hays took advantage of an error in the sixth inning to pull ahead 4-1. The Panthers answered with a lead-off triple from Carson Umphres, who scored on a single from Owen Kaiser. JJ Grove singled, and the pair advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Bradley Hopkins for the first out in the sixth. With another out in the books, senior Edwin Chavez singled to center field to score Kaiser and Grove and even the score at 4-4.
After a fast top of the seventh, freshman Ian Premer walked to open the bottom half of the frame. Umphres came up with another triple to drive in Premer for the walk-off win.
Umphres had three hits in the win, including the lone extra-base hits, both triples. Grove singled twice, and Chavez had the lone hit to drive in two and score once.
Tyler Stuhlsatz kept the Indian bats in check with one earned run on 10 hits and seven strikeouts in six innings. Hunter Herrman picked up the win, pitching the final three outs without allowing a hit and striking out one.
The Panthers managed to tie the score at 4-4 in the fifth inning of game two. That score stood until the top of the seventh when Hays scored on a pair of singles and an error. Kaiser was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the seventh, but the next three Panthers were retired to end the game.
Umphres had two more hits, including another triple. Stuhlsatz and Koehn Ribordy each had two hits, including a two-bagger from Ribordy.
Umphres picked up the loss on the bump after allowing two earned runs on eight hits and striking out three in 6.1 innings of work. Herrman struck out the final two Hays batters.
Great Bend moves to 4-4 on the season heading into next Tuesday's game at McPherson.