By Jim Misunas
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
Great Bend pitcher Anson Hall warmed up for first second-game start by finishing the first game of an 11-3 baseball victory over Nickerson Monday.
Hall’s first batter turned into a double-play ball. He threw seven solid innings and permitted no earned runs and five hits in a 9-2 second game victory.
Western Athletic Conference champion Great Bend (14-4) won seven of eight games during the past week. The Panthers travel to Larned (13-1) Thursday in a regular-season finale. Great Bend is ranked third among eight teams that will be split into two regionals next week. The top two teams are rewarded with home regional sites.
“Our pitchers, Jaxx Hillman and Anson Hall, threw really well today,” said Great Bend coach Randy Beck. “We've won seven of eight games. Our starters have done a nice job working deep into the games. That’s been a key for us.”
Great Bend hit the ball up-and-down the lineup and showed good patience drawing walks. Brady Michel had five RBIs in the twin bill with a pair of doubles.
“They were a curveball-happy team,” Beck said. “We hit the baseball pretty well once we figured out their curveballs and waited on pitches.”
Beck’s only concern was up-and-down defense. Great Bend turned two double plays, but errors gave Nickerson four unearned runs.
“We made errors and several were throwing errors,” Beck said. “We played a lot of baseball and some of that caught up with us tonight,”
Nickerson (9-7) will meet Hoisington in next week’s Class 4A Russell regional. Walks hurt Nickerson’s pitchers as 10 Great Bend runners scored after reaching base without a hit. Tanner Schrag had three hits in the doubleheader.
“It was good to see good pitching and play a good hitting team like Great Bend,” said Nickerson coach Sheldon Stewart. “We made a couple of good adjustments at the plate, trying to hit the baseball up the middle and to the opposite field. We’ll keep working on it.”
GREAT BEND 11, NICKERSON 3 — No. 9 hitter Konnor Ireland delivered three hits and Brady Michel drilled a bases-loaded double to spark Great Bend. Starter Jaxx Hillman worked six solid innings until an error and two hits led to reliever Anson Hall. Hall struck out Kolbi Schrag and first baseman Logan Perry gunned Josh Salazar for a double play.
Nickerson scored first when Wyatt Henson singled home Austin Engelland, who reached on a second-inning error for a 1-0 lead.
Great Bend scored five runs in the second inning, Ireland singled home Payton Mauler and Bryce Lytle forced in a run on a bases-loaded walk. Michel cleared the bases with a double for a 5-0 lead.
Great Bend scored four third-inning runs. Anson Hall singled home Mauler and Ireland loaded the bases with a perfect bunt single. Lytle’s single scored Perry and Hall for an 8-1 lead. Lytle scored on a wild pitch for a 9-1 lead.
Great Bend’s Jacob Murray scored the 10th run on Mauler’s single in the fourth inning. Ireland singled and moved into to third base on an error. He scored on a wild pitch for an 11-2 lead.
Nickerson’s Tanner Schrag reached on an error and scored on Josh Salazar’s single. Braden Stewart doubled off Hillman before Hall came on in relief.
GREAT BEND 9, NICKERSON 2 — Jaxx Hillman, Brady Michel and Jacob Murray each drove in three runs to lead Great Bend.
Nickerson led 1-0 for the second game in a row. Salazar walked, moved into scoring position on an error by Ireland and scored on Kaleb McLean’s groundball.
Great Bend responded with a two-run second inning. Perry and Brett Basye reached on two-out walks and Jacob Murray delivered a two-run double down the right-field line.
Nickerson’s Braden Stewart drove home Tanner Schrag on a groundball that was misplayed after Schrag moved to third base on Anson Hall’s errant pickoff throw for a 2-2 tie.
Great Bend’s Perry singled home Hillman for a 3-2 lead, the third runner to score after a walk. Great Bend scored two more fourth-inning runs. Ireland walked and Lytle’s grounder that was misplayed scored him after a stolen base and wild pitch. Hillman singled and scored on a wild pitch for a 5-2 lead.
Great Bend’s Hillman and Michel drilled back-to-back two-run hits in a four-run fifth inning. Hillman’s single scored Smith and Murray. Michel’s double scored Lytle and Hillman.
GREAT BEND 11, NICKERSON 3
NICKERSON AB R H BI
Tanner Schrag 4 1 1 0
Josh Salazar 4 0 2 1
Braden Stewart 4 0 2 0
Kolbi Schrag 4 0 0 0
Kaleb McLean 4 0 0 0
Austin Engelland 3 2 1 0
Cameron Crandall 1 0 0 0
Chandler Eaton 3 0 1 0
Wyatt Henson 3 0 2 2
TOTALS 30 3 9 3
GREAT BEND AB R H BI
Bryce Lytle 3 2 1 3
Jaxx Hillman 2 0 0 0
Brady Michel 4 0 1 3
Jared Maneth 2 0 0 0
Jacob Murray 0 1 0 0
Brayden Smith 3 0 0 0
Payton Mauler 3 2 2 1
Logan Perry 3 2 1 0
Anson Hall 3 2 1 1
Konnor Ireland 3 2 3 1
TOTALS 26 11 9 9
Nickerson 010 100 1 — 3 9 4
Great Bend 054 110 x — 11 9 4
2B—Schrag, Stewart, Michel. 3B—Engelland. S—Crandall. E—McLean, Salazar, Engelland, Eaton, Hall, Lytle, Ireland, Maneth. SB—illlman, Maneth, Mauler. CS—Salazar, Smith. DP—GB 1. HBP—Crandall (Hillman). LOB—N 8, GB 5.
Nickerson IP H R ER BB SO
K. Schrag 3 7 9 5 4 1
Salazar 1.1 2 2 1 3 2
Engelland 1.2 0 0 0 0 1
Great Bend IP H R ER BB SO
Hillman 6 9 3 1 1 8
Hall 1 0 0 0 0 2
GREAT BEND 9, NICKERSON 2
NICKERSON AB R H BI
Tanner Schrag 4 1 2 0
Josh Salazar 3 1 0 0
Braden Stewart 4 0 0 1
Kolbi Schrag 2 0 1 0
Kaleb McLean 3 0 0 1
Austin Engelland 3 0 1 0
Wyatt Henson 3 0 0 0
Chandler Eaton 3 0 1 0
Kaleb Jackson 0 0 0 0
Carson Cornelius 2 0 0 0
Cameron Crandall 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 29 2 5 2
GREAT BEND AB R H BI
Bryce Lytle 3 1 0 1
Jaxx Hillman 3 3 2 2
Brady Michel 3 0 2 2
Jared Maneth 3 0 0 0
Payton Mauler 0 0 0 0
Anson Hall 4 0 1 0
Logan Perry 2 1 1 1
Brett Basye 1 1 0 0
Brayden Smith 2 1 1 0
Jacob Murray 3 1 1 2
Konnor Ireland 1 1 0 0
TOTALS 25 9 8 8
Nickerson 101 000 0 — 2 5 2
Great Bend 021 240 x — 9 9 3
2B—Michel, Murray. S—Perry. E—Stewart, K. Schrag, Hall, Ireland 2. SB—Lytle, Ireland. DP—GB 1. HBP—K. Schrag (Hall); Murray (McLean). LOB—N 7, GB 8.
Nickerson IP H R ER BB SO
Cornelius 3.2 4 5 5 6 2
McLean 2.1 4 4 4 1 1
GBend IP H R ER BB SO
Hall 7 5 2 0 1 7
Great Bend baseball sweeps Nickerson
