HUTCHINSON — Great Bend’s softball team was one play away from tying Hutchinson High. But Emma Cape was thrown out at home on a close play that sealed Hutchinson’s 3-2 opening victory. The Salt Hawks swept the Panthers with a 7-4 second-game victory Thursday. The slumping Salthawks (10-10) had lost 10 of 14 games entering the twin bill.
Great Bend (13-7) plays Maize South (12-8) at 3 p.m. Wednesday at Wichita’s Two Rivers Complex in the Wichita Carroll softball regional. Wichita Carroll (20-0) plays Arkansas City (5-15) and is the five-time defending state softball champion.
• HUTCHINSON 3, GREAT BEND 2 — The Panthers rallied in the seventh inning with two out after Lauren Welsch was hit by a pitch. Cape reached base on catcher’s intereference against Hutchinson’s Lexi Williams. Baylee Beck’s single scored Welsch when rightfielder Julia Henry missed a catch. Great Bend coach Carrie Minton waved Cape home just as second basman Ally Lusk threw the ball to catcher Williams,
Kendal Sell singled and scored on Carly Dreiling’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.  
Hutchinson executed small-ball with five bunts that turned into four hits and an error for three runs off pitcher Hunter Marcum. Williams and Izzy Godinez reached on bunts and moved into scoring position on an error. Maddie Regier and Alli Pierce deliverd RBI sacrifice flies. Julia Henry singled, moved to third on two bunts and scored on a groundball for a 3-1 lead after six innings.
• HUTCHINSON 7, GREAT BEND 4 — After trailing 7-0, the Panthers rallied with four fifth-inning runs with two out. Beck singled and scored on Mogan Kottas’ double. Sell doubled home Kottas for a 7-2 score. Dreiling’s single scored Sell and Dreiling scored on an error for a 7-4 score.
Panther errors led to four unearned runs for Hutchinson. Lusk singled and scored on a second-inning wild pitch. Maddie Regier and Kaci Hility singled and scored on an error. Lusk’s single drove home Alli Pierce for a 4-0 lead. In the fourth, Izzy Godina drove home Taja Casnova and Regier and Hilty delivered RBI hits for a 7-0 lead off pitcher Hunter Marcum.
HUTCHINSON 3, GREAT BEND 2
GREAT BEND      AB  R  H BI  
Morgan Kottas    3  0  0  0
Kendal Sell      3  1  1  0
Carly Dreiling   3  0  1  1
Hannah Honomichl 3  0  0  0
Lauren Welsch    2  1  1  0
Mikalya Bownes   3  0  0  0
Kaylee Unruh     3  0  0  0
Emma Cape        2  0  1  0
Baylee Beck      3  0  2  1
TOTALS          29  2  6  2
HUTCHINSON      AB  R  H BI  
Izzy Godinez     3  1  1  1
Maddie Regier    4  0  0  1
Kacia Hilty      2  0  1  0
Alli Pierce      3  0  1  1
Ali Lusk         3  0  0  0
Julia Henry      3  1  1  0
Tarren Hudson    2  0  2  0
Taja Casanova    1  0  0  0
Lexi Williams    3  1  1  0
TOTALS          25  3  7  3
GB 000 001 1 — 2 6 4
HH 000 021 x — 3 7 2
 2B—Dreiling. 3B—Welsch. E—Beck 3, Marcum, Honomichl. Williams 2. SB—Welsch, Sell, Beck, Godinez. CS—Hudsen. HBP—Welsch (Hilty). DP—GB 1. LOB—GB 3, HH 8.
GB         IP  H  R ER BB SO
Marcum     6   7  3  1  2  2
HHS
Hilty      7   6  2  1  0  4
HUTCHINSON 7, GREAT BEND 4
GREAT BEND      AB  R  H BI  
Morgan Kottas    4  1  1  1
Kendal Sell      4  1  2  1
Carly Dreiling   3  1  1  0
Hannah Honomichl 3  0  1  1
Lauren Welsch    3  0  1  0
Mikalya Bownes   3  0  0  0
Kaylee Unruh     3  0  0  0
Emma Cape        3  0  0  0
Baylee Beck      3  1  1  0
TOTALS          29  4  7  3
HUTCHINSON      AB  R  H BI  
Izzy Godinez     4  0  0  1
Maddie Regier    4  2  2  1
Kacia Hilty      3  1  2  1
Alli Pierce      3  1  1  0
Ally Lusk        3  1  2  0
Julia Henry      3  0  1  1
Tarren Hudsen    2  0  0  0
Taja Casanova    3  1  0  0
Lexi Williams    3  1  2  0
TOTALS          28  7 10  4
GB 000 040 0 — 4 7 2
HSS 013 300 x — 7 10 2
2B—Sell 2, Kottas, Hilty. SB—Welsch, E—Dreiling, Sell, Pierce. DP—GB 1. LOB—GB 5, HH 5.
GB         IP   H  R ER  BB SO
Honomichl  2.1  2  1  1  0  1
Marcum     3.2  8  6  2  0  1
HHS
Casanova   7    7  4  3  0  3