HAYS – Great Bend’s Breanna Ridgeway enjoyed a career day and Halee Post drove six runs in the nightcap as the Panthers swept past Hays Thomas More Prep 10-3 and 20-2 in Thursday’s softball doubleheader.
Great Bend (7-13) moves up two spots to the 11th seed in the 5A Western softball seedings.
Ridgeway reached base six of seven times and delivered five hits in the twin bill. Post drove in four runs in an eight-run third inning and added two more RBI singles in the nightcap.
PANTHERS 10, MONARCHS 3 (G1) — Great Bend's bottom of the order rescued the Panthers as Ridgeway drove home three runs and Melyne Fletchall keyed a three-run sixth inning with an RBI double.
Pamela Bujanda scored on a sixth-inning Brooke McReynolds groundout. Grace Rowland scored on Fletchall's double. Sydney Unruh's double scored Fletchall for a 9-3 lead. Brenna Bownes capped the victory with a seventh-inning homer.
Pitcher Jordan Turner (5-6) finished a complete game when shortstop Unruh turned a game-ending double play.
The Monarchs led 2-0 on Karli Komarek's two-run second-inning single that scored Hannah Garcia and Alexis Ryersee.
Panther Brooke McReynolds scored on Bre Ridgeway's third-inning bunt single. Sydney Unruh singled home Ridgeway for a 2-2 tie.
The Panthers scored four fourth-inning runs. Paige Thexton scored on Bujanda's sacrifice fly. McReynolds singled home courtesy runner Laura Daniel. Ridgeway's double scored Rowland and McReynolds for a 6-2 lead.
Monarch Sophia Coulter scored on Alexis Ryersee's fourth-inning single for a 6-3 score.
PANTHERS 20, MONARCHS 2 (G2) — Great Bend scored eight runs in the third inning and six more in the fourth and fifth innings for a run-rule victory.
Right fielder Post set the tone with a throw and catcher Brenna Bownes tagged out leadoff hitter Kyleigh Allen at home in the first inning.
Grace Rowland and Brooke McReynolds each drove home three runs. Paige Thexton drove home two runs. Also contributing RBIs were Unruh, Bujanda (with three hits), Melyne Fletchall and Ridgeway.
Alexis Ryersee drove home Sophia Coulter for the Monarchs’ lone RBI.
Great Bend 002 400 1 — 10 10 0
Hays-TMP 020 100 0 — 3 9 2
Turner and Bownes. Kyleigh Allen and Coulter. W—Turner, 5-6. L—K. Allen. 2B—GB—Ridgeway, Fletchall; T—Komarek. HR—GB—Bownes
Great Bend 008 66 – 20 19 0
Hays-TMP 110 00 – 2 4 4
Thexton and Bownes, Davis (5). Augustine, Sophie Allen (3), Ryersee (4), K. Allen (5) and Coulter. W—Thexton, 2-7. L—Augustine. 2B—GB—Ridgeway, T—VonLintel. 3B—GB—Rowland; T—Coulter
PROJECTED 5A SOFTBALL REGIONALS
1—Wichita Carroll 12-0 vs. /17 Maize South 3-15/16 Andover Central 3-11 winner; 8 Wichita Kapaun Mt. Carmel 10-6 vs. 9 Salina South 9-6
2—2 Andover High 14-2 vs. 15 Topeka West 4-12; 7 Hays High 10-5 vs. 10 Newton 8-10
3—3 Goddard Eisenhower 11-3 vs. 14 Salina Central 4-12; 6 Valley Center 13-5 vs. 11 Great Bend 7-13
4—4 Goddard 12-4 vs. 13 Arkansas City 5-11; 5 Maize High 11-4 vs. 12 Emporia 6-12
