In their final home games of the regular season, Great Bend High School’s baseball team split a doubleheader against Liberal on Tuesday night at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
The Panthers fell 7-4 in the lidlifter before rebounding to take the second game 2-1.
“First game, I thought we weren’t really locked in mentally,” GBHS head coach Randy Beck said. “Things that we’ve been doing at the plate all season just weren’t quite there. I think that was the difference in the game.
“We were two evenly matched teams. (In the second game), I thought again the difference was at the plate. I felt like we had better at-bats in Game 2 then we did in Game 1.”
The Panthers improve to 4-2 on the season and 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference. They travel to Hoisington on Thursday for a doubleheader, starting at 4 p.m.

GAME 1
Liberal jumped on Panthers starting pitcher Tristan Hall early on as a four-run second inning forced Great Bend to play from behind throughout most of the game.
The Redskins added another run in the top of the third to make it 5-0 before Great Bend got on the scoreboard.
“That’s one thing that we’ve done a couple times this season is we’ve allowed teams a big inning,” Randy Beck said. “It’s pretty hard to come back when you’re allowing four- or six-spot for them.
Bryce Beck drilled a double, plating Logan Zecha in the bottom of the third to break the shutout.
Great Bend’s Jared Maneth scored on a Trey Hillman single in the fourth, Tristan Hall scored when Maneth hit into a fielder’s choice and Bryce Beck crossed the plate on a Shade Wondra single.
However, Liberal was able to pick up a run in the fifth and sixth innings as the Panthers’ rally fell short.

GAME 2
Bryce Beck took the mound in the second game and he, along with the Great Bend defense, kept Liberal to one run.
The defense showed early, as Bryce Beck induced a ground ball for a double play after allowing the lead-off hitter on base with a hit.
All of the scoring for both teams occurred in the third inning.
“It was kind of damage control there a few times,” Randy Beck said. “Bryce gave up a few hits, but pitched out of a few jams and defensively, we made a few really nice plays to help him out.
“He threw pretty well, holding them to one run and things worked out for the better for us.”
Liberal’s Tim Fitzgerald hit a double to lead off things and was later driven in as the Redskins’ only run.
Hillman opened the bottom half of the inning with a single, but Logan Zecha hit into a fielder’s choice, leaving Hillman out at second base.
Zecha stole second base and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly from Bryce Beck before scoring on a Brady Michel single.
Wondra brought Michel around to score with a single.

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
Western Athletic Conference

Tuesday

At Great Bend
Great Bend Sports Complex

GAME 1

Liberal 7, Great Bend 4
                      123   456   7         R    H    E
Liberal           041   011   0  —    7    8    1
Great Bend    001   101   1  —    4    7    3
     Collin Ware & Angel Archuleta. Tristan Hall & Anson Hall. 2B — Liberal (Jared Hasik); Great Bend (Bryce Beck, Dillon Reiser).

GAME 2

Great Bend 2, Liberal 1
                      123   456   7         R    H    E
Liberal           001   000   0  —    1    8    0
Great Bend    002   000   0  —    2    6    1
     Jared Hasik & Angel Archuleta. Bryce Beck & Jared Maneth. 2B — Liberal (Tim Fitzgerald).