SALINA – Great Bend pitcher Joey Soupiset threw four shutout innings to spark the Chiefs past the Salina Falcons 5-2 Wednesday. The Falcons captured the Kansas American Legion state championship last year.

The Salina Falcons won the nightcap 11-5. The Great Bend Chiefs (11-5) travel to Topeka Saturday. The Chiefs play the Topeka Kansas Senators at 10 a.m. and Ottawa at 2 p.m.

CHIEFS 5, FALCONS 2 (G1) – Soupiset struck out four batters and yielded one hit. Reliever Alex Schremmer threw two shutout innings before yielding two seventh-inning runs.

Schremmer, Townshend Kurth and Carson Smith singled to load the bases in the third inning. Schremmer scored on Colin Hall’s groundball. Soupiset singled home Kurth for a 2-0 lead.

Carson Smith doubled home Kurth after a fifth-inning single for a 3-0 lead. Schremmer scored on a seventh-inning wild pitch and Carson Smith scored on an error for a 5-0 lead.

Salina’s Zach Isaacson singled home Brogen Richardson and Cason Long in the seventh inning.

FALCONS 11, CHIEFS 5 (G2) – Salina’s Brogen Richardson, Zach Isaacson and Jason Duong each drove home two runs. The Falcons scored three first-inning runs and added four runs in the fourth and fifth innings off starter Kurth.

Townshend Kurth tripled home Alex Schremmer and Carson Smith singled home Kurth for a 2-0 first-inning lead. Colin Hall singled and Riley Smith singled, but Carson Smith was tagged out at home to end the rally. Red-hot Kurth delivered three hits and Riley Smith and Carson Smith each had two hits.

The Falcons scored 11 consecutive runs. Isaacson delivered a two-run double and Long had an RBI single in a three-run first inning. Two Chiefs errors and three passed balls led to four unearned fourth inning runs. Jovan Suarez hit an RBI single. Duong's two-run triple and Richardson's two-run single made it 11-2 after five innings.  

Carson Smith singled home Schremmer to spark a three-run seventh inning. Schremmer walked and Kurth singled to start a rally. Soupiset forced home Kurth on a bases-loaded walk, but the threat fizzled when the Falcons turned a double play.  

GB Chiefs 002 010 2 – 5 9 2

Salina Falcons 000 000 002 – 2 5 2

Soupiset, Schremmer (5) and Hall. Perez, Suarez (4) and Baughman. W—Soupiset. L--Perez. 2B—GB—Carson Smith.

GB Chiefs 200 000 3 – 5 8 3

Salina Falcons 300 440 x – 11 12 4

Kurth, Haberman (5) and Riley Smith. Whittecar, Hannert (3), Richardson (7) and Baughman. W—Hannert. L—Kurth. 2B—GB—R. Smith. 3B—GB—Kurth; S—Huong.