DODGE CITY — Great Bend's baseball team is always one run away.
Dodge City edged Great Bend 3-2 Tuesday to earn its first Western Athletic Conference baseball victory. Great Bend (5-7, 2-4 WAC) is virtually eliminated from the WAC race entering Thursday's single home game against Hays High (11-0, 5-0 WAC). Dodge City (7-4, 1-4 WAC) plays Wichita Heights April 22.
Dodge City scratched out three runs with three hits. The Red Demons led 1-0 when Matt Friess bunted home Noah Sowers after a double and sacrifice bunt by Damian Rodriguez.
Great Bend scored a third-inning run when Alex Schremmer doubled home Chance Perry. Dodge City answered with a pair of third-inning runs that started with back-to-back hit batters on Adrian Mendoza and Cody Ibarra. Alden Knedler's double scored Mendoza. Erubiel Duron's groundout scored Ibarra for a 3-1 lead.
Calasn Haberman and Schremmer delivered back-to-back fifth-inning singles. Haberman scored on Jesus Bujanda's groundout for a 3-2 score.
The Panthers were retired in order in the final two innings.
Great Bend 001 010 0 — 2 6 1
Dodge City 012 000 x — 3 3 0
Soupiset and Hall. Sowers and Knedler. W—Sowers. L—Soupisert. 2B—GB—Schremmer; DC--Knedler.
WAC BASEBALL
Hays High 5-0 11-0
Liberal 3-2 7-3
Garden City 3-4 7-4
Great Bend 2-4 5-7
Dodge City 1-4 7-4
TUESDAY
Dodge City 3, Great Bend 2
Garden City 5, Liberal 4; Liberal 6, Garden City 2