SCOTT CITY — The Great Bend High School softball team totaled 36 hits in a non-conference doubleheader sweep against Scott City on Tuesday night.
The Lady Panthers won, 12-5 and 13-1.
“The girls came to the plate ready to swing,” GBHS head coach Carrie Minton said. “They were very aggressive. They were looking for pitches to hit.
“The girls stepped up and got a lot of hits. We left nine runners on base in the first game and six in the second.”
The wins put Great Bend at 12-2 overall this season.
In the first game, Scott City led for two innings after jumping ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the first.
Great Bend scored a run in the top of the second and then added three more runs in the top of the third to reclaim the lead. After that, Scott City trailed the rest of the night.
“This was the first time that we were able to come back after getting down early,” Minton said. “In the games against Larned and Hays, we jumped on us early and we weren’t able to get back into the game. I don’t know if they were putting too much pressure on themselves or what it was.
“We are very happy with how these games turned out.”
McKenna Mauler helped the Lady Panthers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple and two singles. Kaitlee Spray went 3-for-5 with three singles.
Jordan Haney drove in a pair of runs and went 2-for-4 with a single and a double.
Abby Morrison pitched six innings, struck out eight batters, allowed nine hits and two walks. Emily Seiwert, who closed out both games for Great Bend, pitched the final inning and gave up one hit.
Great Bend ended game two after five innings with the 10-run rule, and it was a good thing, too.
As rain began to fall in Scott City, the Lady Panthers were able to score runs in all five innings, including a five-run second inning and a pair of three-run innings.
“The first game, the weather was nice,” Minton said. “Then at the end of the third inning, it started to rain a little bit and by the end of the fifth inning, it was really coming down.
“The girls really stayed focused. It can be hard to concentrate in those conditions.”
Both Abby Morrison and Stephanie Morrison hit home runs in the game to lead Great Bend.
Abby Morrison went 1-for-4 with three RBIs and an out-of-the-park home run in the bottom of the second inning.
Stephanie Morrison, who was 3-for-3 from the plate with a single, a double and home run, knocked a pitch over the fence in the third inning. Stephanie Morrison finished with three RBIs and four runs scored.
Haney worked four innings from the circle, giving up six hits with no walks or strikeouts. Seiwert finished the game and gave up one hit and recorded one strikeout in the final inning.
The Lady Panthers travel to Garden City on Thursday.