BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Welcome back Eddie Bujanda.
Bujanda guessed right with back-to-back doubles that sparked the Panthers' 7-6 comeback Western Athletic Conference baseball victory over previously unbeaten Hays High Thursday at the windswept Great Bend Sports Complex.
Jesus Bujanda scored the game-winning walkoff run after the ball eluded catcher Brock Lummus. Down 6-4, the Panthers rallied for three runs against Indian reliever Trey Riggs. Eddie Bujanda doubled home Koy Brack. Jesus Bujanda singled home Eddie Bujanda for a 6-6 tie. The Panthers celebrated when Jesus Bujanda scored the game-winner.
Eddie Bujanda rocked Riggs' first pitch in relief for an RBI double and a 3-1 lead. Koy Brack singled home Calan Haberman after a fifth-inning double off Hays starter Dylan Dreiling. Joey Souipset followed with a RBI single off Riggs to score Bujanda for a 4-1 lead.
Eddie Bujanda correctly guessed fastball the first time off Riggs; then guessed curveball the second time. He atoned for a sixth-inning error that helped Hays tie the score 4-4.
"I was waiting for a fastball down the middle and I ripped it," Bujanda said. "On the second time, I knew he'd throw a curveball. I waited on it and ripped it. The second one was a bigger hit because we needed it. It felt great to come back tonight."
Great Bend (6-7, 3-4 WAC) has played six games that went down to the final out. The Panthers play Dodge City (7-4, 1-4 WAC) April 26 at home. Hays High (11-1, 5-1 WAC) still controls the WAC baseball division.
"We played really well with a lot of emotion that comes with rivalry games," said Great Bend coach Randy Beck. "We tried to beat ourselves, but we bounced back. I was proud of our guys because they did what it took to win that game. That's our best win, coming back from two runs down in the bottom of the seventh."
Hays rallied with five runs after trailing 4-1. Cody Petersen, Palmer Hutchison and Riggs scored sixth-inning runs for a 4-4 tie fueled by three Panther errors. Brock Lummus' potential double play ball turned into an RBI that scored Petersen when it deflected off umpire Brad McDonald. Hutchison scored when Eddie Bujanda misplayed a groundball and Riggs scored the tying run on a throwing error. The go-ahead pinch runner was tagged out at home by Jesus Bujanda.
The Indians led 6-4 when Willie Sennett scored on a passed ball and Hutchison scored on a two-out error.
The Panthers led 1-0 when Koy Brack tripled home Alex Schremmer in the first inning. Schremmer walked and moved up two bases on a wild pitch. Josh Haynes singled home Dylan Dreiling for a 1-1 tie.
Hays High 010 003 2 — 6 5 1
Great Bend 100 030 3 — 7 8 5
Dreiling, Riggs (5) and Lummus. Hall and Jesus Bujanda. W—Kurth, 2-0. L—Riggs, 2-1. 2B—GB—Eddie Bujanda 2; Haberman. 3B—GB—Brack.
WAC BASEBALL
Hays High 5-1 11-1
Liberal 3-2 8-4
Garden City 3-4 9-4
Great Bend 3-4 6-7
Dodge City 1-4 7-4
TUESDAY
Dodge City 3, Great Bend 2
Garden City 5, Liberal 4; Liberal 6, Garden City 2
THURSDAY
Great Bend 7, Hays High 6
Garden City 11-0, 13-3 Colby
Liberal 9, Newkirk, Okla. 1; Alva, Okla. 17, Liberal 1
HAYS HIGH (5-1, 11-1)—WW—Colby 4-0, 9-1; WW Russell 12-2, 16-1; WW Washburn Rural 8-1, 5-4; WW *Garden City 7-1, 12-0; W *Great Bend 7-0; W *Dodge City 8-7, 17-3; L *Great Bend 6-7; 4-26—*Liberal; 4-30—Salina Central; 5-2/4—Hays Diamond Classic; 5-7—at Ulysses
LIBERAL (3-2, 8-4)—WW Hugoton 10-0, 9-2; W Woodward, Okla.; 7-0; W Maize South 2-1, L Maize High 2-6; WL *Great Bend 8-5, 3-8; W *Dodge City 11-1; WL *Garden City 5-4, 2-6; W Newkirk, Okla. 9-1; L Alva, Okla. 1-17; 4-20—Perry, Okla./Crossings Christian, Okla. at Alva, Okla.; 4-26—*at Hays; 5-3—at Lenexa St. James; 5-4—KC Christian/at St. Thomas Aquinas; 5-7—*at Dodge City 1
GARDEN CITY (3-4, 9-4)—W Hays-TMP 6-4, 4-0; WW Holcomb 16-1, 15-0; W *Dodge City 2-1; LL Hays High 1-7, 0-12; WL *Great Bend 4-3, 7-9; WL *Liberal 6-2, 4-5; WW Colby 11-0, 13-3; 4-23—*at Dodge City 1; 4-26—at Wichita North; 4-30—Wichita Heights; 5-4—at Emporia
GREAT BEND (3-4, 6-7)—L McPherson 4-8; L Andover 5-7; WW Wichita Independent 11-3, 4-3; WL Junction City 4-2, 0-10; WL *Liberal 8-3, 5-8; L *Hays High 0-7; WL *Garden City 9-7, 3-4; L *Dodge City 2-3; W *Hays High 7-6; 4-26—*Dodge City 1; 5-2/4—at Hays Diamond Classic; 5-7—Hutchinson/Hays-TMP
DODGE CITY (1-4, 7-4)—WW Wichita East 14-13, 9-8; WW Wichita South 10-0, 15-0; L *Garden City 1-2; WW Wichita Southeast 19-1, 13-2; L *Liberal 1-11; LL *Hays High 7-8, 3-17; W *Great Bend 3-2; 4-22—at Wichita Heights; 4-23—*Garden City 1; 4-26—at Great Bend 1; 4-30—McPherson; 5-3—at Emporia; 5-7—*Liberal 1
