BY JIM MISUNAS
HAYS – Great Bend’s Sage Koelsch crushed a 3-run homer and the Panther baseball team was up 8-0 on rival Hays High in Thursday’s Diamond Classic.
Game over?
No way in this historic Western Athletic Conference rivalry.
The Panthers helped Hays with three errors, a hit batter and a wild pitch to fuel a 6-run rally.
Great Bend ace pitcher Chayse Gruber rode to the rescue by striking out Derek Riggs on a called third strike to strand the tying runner at second base. Gruber finished the job by striking out Noah Weimer with the tying runner on base again in the seventh inning.
The Panthers escaped with a hard-fought 8-6 victory in the opener of the Diamond Classic played in 50-degree temperatures with a hint of moisture in the air.
Gruber atoned for a sixth-inning error with perfect relief. Gruber earned his second save by recording four outs. Gruber has yielded five earned runs in 35 innings, a 1.00 earned run average. Gruber has 38 strikeouts and five walks.
The Panthers played their best five innings of baseball to build an 8-0 lead. They tagged Hays ace pitcher Garrett Wellbrock (4-1) for eight earned runs to push his ERA from 1.53 to 2.79.
Stefan Spray’s 2-out RBI single sparked a 5-run third inning. Gavin Haberman and Tyler Stuhlsatz followed with RBI singles. Carter Coombs and Joseph Moeder forced home runs on a walk and hit batter.
Koelsch delivered his biggest hit of the season with a 3-run fifth-inning blast that scored Coombs and Moeder for an 8-0 lead.
Catcher Brad Beck sparked flawless defense by throwing out Wellbrock at third base in the third inning and Weimer at third base in the fifth inning.
The Panthers gave the Indians extra outs with a pair of sixth-inning errors that opened the door. Carson Spray and Jack Fields delivered RBI singles and two runs scored on a 2-out error for an 8-6 score.
But Gruber stranded Dylan Dreiling at third base and Dalton Dale at second base when Riggs took three consecutive strikes without swinging the bat after working a 3-0 count.
The Panthers (12-3) plays Wichita Word of Life (3 p.m.) and Wichita Trinity (5:30) Friday with a 76-degree high forecast.
Great Bend 005 030 0 – 8 10 3
Hays High 000 015 0 – 6 8 0
Stefan Spray, Koelsch (6), Gruber and Beck. Wellbrock, Barnett (6) and Riggs. W—Spray, 4-0. L—Wellbrock, 4-1. SV—Gruber (2). 2B—GB—Beck, Koelsch, Coombs; H—Barnett. HR—GB—Koelsch.
WAC BASEBALL
Great Bend 6-2 12-3
Hays High 6-2 9-6
Garden City 3-5 7-8
Dodge City 2-4 6-10
Liberal 1-5 9-9
5-1—Liberal 17, Elkhart 3; Elkhart 13, Liberal 7
5-3—Campus 9, Dodge City 1, McPherson 7, Dodge City 1
5-5—Great Bend 8, Hays 6
5-6—Great Bend vs. Life Prep, Wichita Trinity; Dodge City at Emporia, Blue Valley West; Manhattan, Wichita Trinity at Hays
5-7—Great Bend vs. Manhattan; Life Prep at Hays
GREAT BEND (6-2, 12-3)—W Junction City 11-0; L McPherson 2-8; WW Hutchinson 7-6, 11-2; WW *Liberal 7-4, 10-1; L *Hays 6-16; WL *Garden City 5-4, 3-4; W *Dodge City 4-3; W *Hays High 11-2; WW Hays-TMP 7-3, 15-0; W *Dodge City 7-2; W Hays 8-6; 5-6—Hays Tourney (Life Prep, Wichita Trinity); 5-7—Hays Tourney (Manhattan); 5-13—at Goddard Eisenhower
HAYS HIGH (6-2, 9-6)—WW *Liberal 12-2, 10-0; WL Washburn Rural 14-4, 18-22; WL *Garden City 15-3, 10-16; W *Great Bend 16-6; WW *Dodge City 8-2, 8-2; L *Great Bend 2-11; L DeSoto 1-2; W Bonner Springs 4-2; W Basehor-Linwood 14-4; L Blue Valley West 3-4; L Great Bend 6-8; 5-6—Hays Tourney (Manhattan, Wichita Trinity; 5-7—Hays Tourney (Life Prep); 5-10—Ulysses (2)
GARDEN CITY (3-5, 7-8)—W Newton 5-4; L Circle 1-2; L Augusta 3-6; W *Liberal 9-8; WW Goodland 14-3, 11-1; L *Dodge City 2-8; WL *Hays High 16-10, 3-15; WL *Great Bend 4-3, 4-5; L *Liberal 5-14; W Scott City 9-6; L Dodge City 1-2; L Dodge City 3-7; 5-2—Lamar, Colo. (2); 5-6—at Emporia (2); 5-12—Hays-TMP (2)
DODGE CITY (2-4, 6-10)—LL Andover 5-7, 5-7; L Newton 6-8; L Valley Center 2-4; W *Garden City 8-2; WW Wichita South 15-5, 11-0; LL *Hays High 2-8, 2-8; L *Great Bend 3-4; W Scott City 16-6; W Garden City 2-1; W *Garden City 7-3; L *Great Bend 3-7; 5-3—L McPherson 1-7; Campus 01-9; 5-6/7—at Emporia, vs. Blue Valley West; 5-10—*at Liberal (1); 5-12—*Liberal (1)
LIBERAL (1-5, 9-9)—WW Hugoton 15-3, 15-3; L *Garden City 8-9; LL *Hays High 2-12, 0-10; LL *Great Bend 4-7, 1-10; W Guymon, Okla. 13-2; WW Woodward, Okla. 19-12, 16-7; W *Garden City 14-5; LLL Wichita Life 3-6, 1-11, 0-10; WW Wichita South 6-0, 13-3; WL Elkhart 17-3; 7-13; 5-10—*Dodge City (1); 5-12—*at Dodge City (1)
