BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
DERBY — Derby swept past Great Bend 10-1 and 5-0 Tuesday in the battle of softball Panthers.
Derby improves to 14-2 with both losses against Maize. Great Bend (7-11) plays at Hays-Thomas More Prep May 8.
DERBY 10, GREAT BEND 1 (G1) — Great Bend lost two runs on umpiring calls and Derby eventually powered to a 10-1 first-game victory.
Great Bend’s leadoff hitter Aleah Urban was involved in both plays. She was called out on an appeal for leaving third base on Olivia Urban’s first-inning fly ball. Urban’s second out was truly controversial, being called out for interference in the batter’s box when Derby catcher Tatum Haney threw the ball into left field, scoring a Great Bend run.
Great Bend, down 10-1, ended the game with Aleah Urban and Olivia Urban both getting thrown out at third base in the seventh inning.
Pitcher Shanaeia Mehlhaff delivered the best defensive play with a fourth-inning double play to catcher Kaylee Unruh and third baseman Baylee Beck.
In the first three innings, Great Bend turned a leadoff triple, bases loaded with no out and two runners on with no out into one run. Brenna Bownes drove home.
Derby’s Olivia Depew drilled a two-run homer and Olivia Steinert added an RBI single for a 3-1 lead. Steinert’s RBI groundout made it 4-1 after four innings. Haney and Depew ripped RBI triples in the fifth inning. Mariah Wheeler drilled a three-run homer and Depew added Derby’s final run on a groundout.
DERBY 5, GREAT BEND 0 (G2) — Great Bend relief pitcher Sarah Mehlhaff threw five solid innings, yielding one earned run. But Great Bend was unable to score against Derby pitcher Paige Paxton.
Derby’s Kiya McManus and Haney drilled RBI doubles and Wheeler added an RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead after one inning. Cline scored on a second-inning error. McManus drove in Derby’s final run on a groundout.
5A REGIONAL — Great Bend (7-11) is seeded 10th in the 5A west. The Panthers could move to eighth seed if they sweep Hays-Thomas More Prep next week. Liberal (8-10) will lose two against Dodge City May 10 and Salina South (8-10) will be heavy underdogs against Derby (14-2) Friday and Andover (12-6) May 8.
Great Bend 010 000 0 — 1 8 2
Derby 030 124 x — 10 16 1
Shanaeia Mehlhaff and Unruh. Depew and Haney. W—Depew, 7-1. L—Shanaeia Mehlhaff, 6-8. 3B—GB—Aleah Urban; D—Depew, Haney. HR—D—Depew, Wheeler.
Great Bend 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
Derby 310 010 x — 5 10 2
Shanaeia Mehlhaff, Sarah Mehlhaff and Unruh. Paxton and Haney. W—Paxton, 4-0. L—Shanaeia Mehlhaff, 6-9. 2B—GB—Williams; D—McManus, Wheeler, Haney. 3B—GB—Clark.
5A REGIONAL SOFTBALL
1—Maize High 13-0
2—Wichita Carroll 15-1
3—Andover 12-6
4—Wichita Kapaun Mount Carmel 8-4
5—Goddard 10-6
6—Goddard Eisenhower 9-7
7—Maize South 10-8
8—Salina South 8-8
9—Liberal 8-10
10—Great Bend 7-11
11—Wichita Heights 7-13
12—Valley Center 6-14
13—Salina Central 4-14
14—Newton 0-18
WESTERN ATHLETIC GIRLS
Dodge City 5-1 13-3
Garden City 6-2 11-5
Great Bend 5-3 7-11
Hays High 2-6 9-9
Liberal 0-6 8-10
APRIL 27
Great Bend 7, Garden City 6
Garden City 8, Great Bend 5
Hays High 2, Hays-TMP 1
Hays 4, Salina Sacred Heart 3
APRIL 28
Liberal 8-7, 8-6 Elkhart
TUESDAY
Derby 10-1, 5-0 Great Bend
Garden City 5, Dodge City 3
Dodge City 5, Garden City 3
Hays High 9-1, 13-1 Liberal
DODGE CITY (5-1, 13-3)—WW Hays-TMP 6-4, 5-3; Wichita South 15-0, 12-1; L Goddard Eisenhower 9-20; L Derby 4-14; WW Hays High 12-4, 6-5; WW Wichita Heights 18-8, 17-5; WW Great Bend 4-1, 15-5; WW Ulysses 17-0, 12-2; WL Garden City 5-3, 3-5; 5-4—Andover Central at Emporia; 5-5—BV Southwest at Emporia; 5-10—at Liberal
GARDEN CITY (6-2, 11-5)—WL Hays-TMP 7-3, 2-8; L Maize South 2-3, L Derby 0-10; WW Valley Center 12-6, 15-3; WW *Liberal 15-0, 15-0; WW Colby 14-0, 18-2; WW *Hays High 8-1, 5-1; WL *Great Bend 8-5, 6-7; *Dodge City 5-3, 3-5; 5-4—at Emporia; 5-5—Kapaun-Mt. Carmel at Emporia; 5-7—Goodland
GREAT BEND (5-3, 7-11)—WL Cheney; L Andover 0-10; W Hutchinson 16-0; WW *Liberal 10-0, 14-0; L Olathe North 0-15; L SM Northwest 2-9; L Lawrence 1-10; L Olathe Northwest 4-14; LL *Dodge City 1-4, 5-15; WW *Hays High 3-2, 7-6; WL *Garden City 7-6, 5-8; LL Derby 1-10, 0-5; 5-8—at Hays-Thomas More Prep
HAYS HIGH (2-6, 9-9)—WW Goodland 14-0, 8-1; W McPherson 7-6; L Andover 2-11; L Maize 3-13; L Goddard 0-11; LL Dodge City 4-12, 5-6; WW Colby 12-0, 15-5; LL *Great Bend 2-3, 6-7; LL *Garden City; WW Hays-TMP 2-1; Salina Sacred Heart 4-3; WW *Liberal 9-1, 13-1; 5-10—Andover Central
LIBERAL (0-6, 8-10)—WW Stanton Co. 9-0, 10-7; WW Ulysses 12-2, 17-9; WL Hugoton 8-2, 1-3; LL *Great Bend 0-10, 0-14; LL *Garden City 0-15, 0-15; LL Wichita Southeast 4-14, 3-9; WL Scott City 11-9, 4-8; WW Elkhart 8-7, 8-6; LL *Hays High 1-9, 1-13; 5-10—*Dodge City
