BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

HAYS — Hays High turned a school record five double plays to turn back Great Bend 8-6 Thursday in the 34th annual Diamond Baseball Classic.
The Panthers hit into double plays in the second, fourth, fifth, sixth and seven innings to stop several rallies. The Panthers had the first two batters reach base in five of seven innings.
Great Bend (9-4) plays Goddard at 1 p.m. and Wichita Life at 5:15 p.m. Friday.
Great Bend’s Logan Perry and Bryce Lytle each had three hits. Brady Michel and Perry each drove in two runs.
The Panthers led 2-0 when Logan Perry’s first-inning single scored Brady Michel and courtesy runner Brett Basye after Jared Maneth’s single. Lytle singled to load the bases, but Payton Mauler was retired to end the threat.
Michel’s RBI drove home Konnor Ireland for a 3-0 lead after two innings. Hays pitcher Cole Schumacher turned the Indians’ first double play on a line drive by Maneth.
Hays’ Dalton Stout’s RBI double drove home Jace Armstrong, but third baseman Konnor Ireland threw out Cole Schumacher on a relay from centerfielder Michel to preserve a 3-1 lead after three innings.
Hays shortstop Drew Young turned the Indians’ second double play on Jared Maneth’s line drive after the first two batters reached base in the fourth inning.
The Indians’ Jarrett Pfannenstiel drilled an RBI single and the Panthers made an error in a three-run fourth inning. Drew Young’s sacrifice fly scored Jared Haynes for a 4-3 lead. Brayden Delzeit doubled home Stout and Connor Rule for a 6-3 lead and Haynes delivered an RBI single that scored Delzeit for a 7-3 lead after five innings.
The Panthers rallied when Ireland and Jaxx Hillman scored in the sixth inning. Michel’s bases-loaded walk forced in a run. But a bases-loaded no-out threat fizzled when Hays third baseman Palmer Hutchison turned a double play on Maneth’s groundball. Reliever Stout retired Bradyen Smith to end the inning.
Rule’s base hit scored Schumacher for an 8-5 lead heading to the seventh inning.
Payton Mauler doubled home Perry after a double and a walk to Lytle. But Ireland hit into a double play after the first three runners reached base. Hillman was retired for the game’s final out.

HAYS HIGH 8, GREAT BEND 6
GREAT BEND           AB  R  H BI  
Jaxx Hillman          3  1  0  0
Anson Hall            3  0  1  0
Brady Michel          3  1  1  2
Jared Maneth          4  0  1  0
Brayden Smith         4  0  2  0
Brett Basye           0  1  0  0
Logan Perry           4  1  3  2
Bryce Lytle           3  0  2  0
Payton Mauler         4  0  1  1
Konnor Ireland       4  2  2  0
TOTALS               32  6 13  4
HAYS HIGH           AB  R  H BI  
Cole Schumacher      2  1  0  0
Dalton Stout         4  1  4  1
Connor Rule          3  2  2  1
Marcus Altman        3  1  0  0
Braydon Delzeit      3  1  2  2
Jared Haynes         2  1  1  1
J. Pfannenstiel      3  0  0  2
Drew Young           2  0  0  1
Jace Armstrong       2  1  0  0
TOTALS              24  8  9  8
Great Bend 210 002 1 — 6 13 1
Hays High 001 331 x — 8 9 6
  2B—Perry, Mauler, Stout, Delzeit, SF—Young. SB—Pfannenstiel. DP—HH 5. LOB—GB 11, HH 6. HBP—Armstrong, Schumacher (Hillman).
   Great Bend      IP    H     R   ER   BB   SO
Jaxx Hillman      4.1    5     7     4        3     2
Anson Hall        1.2     4     1     1        1     0
   Hays High       IP    H    R    ER   BB   SO
Pfannenstiel       5     11    5      2        3     1
Stout                     2      2     1      1        1     0

Hays Diamond Classic
Thursday, May 5
Hays 10, Wichita Word of Life 0    
Salina Central 14, Word of Life 1
Hays 8, Great Bend 6        
Friday, May 6
1 p.m.— Great Bend vs. Goddard              
3 p.m.— Salina Central vs Goddard    
5:15 p.m.— Word of Life vs. Great Bend
7:30 p.m.— Hays vs. Salina Central         
Saturday, May 7
9 a.m.— Goddard vs. Word of Life
12:30 p.m.— Salina Central vs. Great Bend     
5 p.m.— Hays vs. Goddard