BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

HAYS – Two spectacular defensive plays by Wichita Life Prep sparked a 5-1 victory over Great Bend in Friday’s Hays Baseball Diamond Classic. The Panthers (13-4) won Friday’s second game 4-1 over Wichita Trinity.

WICHITA LIFE PREP 5, PANTHERS 1 – Left fielder Jesus Rodriguez and right fielder Hamin Feliz threw out Panthers runners at home plate to squelch potential rallies.

Paco Hernandez singled to left field off Life Prep pitcher Yoni Castro, but Sage Koelsch was thrown out on a perfect throw to catcher Edwin Lemus in the third inning.

Carter Coombs singled and Jade Poe walked in the fifth inning. Leadoff batter Koelsch’s fly ball was deep enough for Great Bend coach Randy Beck to wave Coombs home, but Feliz’s peg to home to Lemus was perfect again.

Koelsch’s RBI single scored Brad Beck in the seventh inning. But the Fire turned out the lights on a Hernandez double play groundball started by second baseman Rodriguez.

A misplayed bunt opened the door for a 3-run third inning for the Fire. Rodriguez scored on an error on a Jordy Lopez bunt. Feliz and Konner Jaso followed with RBI singles off Tyler Stuhlsatz (1-2).

Rodriguez singled home Lopez in the fourth inning after a walk and Panther error. Angel Cano’s single scored Jaso in the seventh inning.

Life Prep (18-7) shut out 6A state-ranked Manhattan 10-0 earlier in the day.

PANTHERS 4, WICHITA TRINITY 1 –  The Panthers scored three first-inning runs and relied on lefthander Paco Hernandez (2-1) for six solid innings.  Hernandez stranded two baserunners in the first inning after a leadoff Connor Davis double and single by Easton Norris. He worked out of a bases-loaded situation by yielding one second-inning run.

Koelsch scored on Chayse Gruber’s first-inning groundball. Gruber scored on a Stuhlsatz single. Stefan Spray scored on Brad Beck’s groundball for a 3-0 lead. The Panthers added a valuable insurance run when Gruber’s double scored Hernandez in the seventh inning.

HAYS DIAMOND CLASSIC

Great Bend 8, Hays 6

Manhattan 4, Hays 2, 15 innings

Wichita Life 10, Manhattan 0

Wichita Life 5, Great Bend 1

Great Bend 4, Wichita Trinity 1

Hays vs. Wichita Trinity

Wichita Life 003 100 1 – 5 11 1

Great Bend 000 000 1 – 1 7 3

Castro, Sherman (7) and Lemus, Cano. Stuhlsatz, Moeder (7) and Beck. W—Castro. L—Stuhlsatz. 1-2. 2B—GB—Beck.

Great Bend 300 000 1 – 4 6 0

Wichita Trinity 010 000 0 – 1 4 0

Hernandez, Koelsch (7) and Beck. Norris, Sanchez (7) and Davis. W—Hernandez, 2-1. L—Norris. 2B—GB—Gruber; WT—Davis.