HAYS — Apparently, the only way to record an out on Great Bend freshman Aleah Urban is for Panther coach Carrie Minton to force her to sacrifice bunt.
Urban raised her batting average to an astronomical .782 (18-23) after five hits in the Panthers’ dominating 15-0 and 16-4 Western Athletic Conference softball sweep Thursday over the Hays High Indians. Urban drove home five runs and scored five runs. She was thrown out twice on sacrifice bunts.
Panther pitcher Hunter Marcum (7-1) earned both victories. Reliever Shanaeia Mahlhaff finished both games.
Great Bend (7-1, 6-0 WAC) will need to win one game at Garden City April 27 to clinch a share of the WAC softball championship. The Panthers travel to Olathe Friday and Saturday to play Olathe North and Olathe South Friday, Lawrence and Lawrence Free State Saturday.
PANTHERS 15, HAYS 0 – Aleah Urban was on fire with a double, three hits, three runs scored and three runs batted home. Emma Cape drove home four runs with three hits. Kaylee Unruh followed a 10-RBI doubleheader with three runs batted home.
Cape singled home Kendel Sell and Urban to ignite a four-run first inning. Shailey Clark’s sacrifice fly scored Unruh and Allison Neeland’s single scored Cape for a 4-0 lead.
Unruh’s single drove in Sell and Clark’s double scored Unruh for a 6-0 lead.
Sell, Urban, Cape and Neeland drove home runs in a six-run third inning. Unruh delivered a two-run double for a 12-0 lead.
Urban’s two-run double scored Baylee Beck and Sell for a 14-0 lead. Cape’s single scored Urban for a 15-0 run-rule victory.
PANTHERS 16, HAYS 4 – The Indians gift wrapped the Panthers’ second victory with six errors and several misplays that allowed baserunners to reach base. The Panthers ran wild on the bases with no threat from the catcher.
Baylee Beck drove in three runs and Aleah Urban drove home two runs. Clark and Olivia Urban scored unearned second-inning runs.
The Indians collapsed in the nightmarish seven-run third inning. Cape reached on a strikeout. The Indians dropped a fly ball and Hays missed a routine out when an infielder hesitated on a throw to first base. Beck, Olivia Urban and Unruh drove in runs.
Mikayla Bownes joined the party with an RBI single that drove home Kailee McMullen for a 10-2 lead. Beck drilled a two-run single and Aleah Urban and Cape added RBI hits in a six-run fifth inning.
Hays High’s Macee Altman homered and drove in two runs. Cameron Jensen drove in two runs with three hits.

PANTHERS 15, HAYS 0
Great Bend 426 3 – 15 16 1
Hays 000 0 – 0 3 2
Marcum, Mahlhaff (3) and Unruh. Altman and Fagan. W—Marcum, 6-1. L—Altman, 3-3. 2B—GB—Clark, Neeland, Urban, Cape, Unruh; HH, Altman.

PANTHERS 16, HAYS 4
Great Bend 027 16 – 16 11 1
Hays 110 11 – 4 10 6
Marcum, Mahlhaff (5) and Unruh. Wichers and Fagan. W—Marcum, 7-1. L—Wichers, 1-3. 2B—GB—Urban; HH—Jensen. HR—HH—Altman.

WESTERN ATHLETIC SOFTBALL
Great Bend 6-0 7-1
Garden City 2-0 6-4
Dodge City 2-2 7-3
Liberal 0-4 3-5
Hays High 0-4 4-6

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Garden City 14-9, Liberal 2-0
Great Bend 8-15, Dodge City 1-5
Hays 11-15, Colby 1-12

THURSDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 15-16, Hays High 0-4

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Colby at Garden City
Wichita Southeast at Liberal

GREAT BEND (6-0, 7-1)—(4-4—at Hutchinson, vs. Andover. ppd.); WL Cheney 9-0, 3-4; WW *Liberal 8-0, 11-0; WW *Dodge City 8-1, 15-5; WW *Hays High 15-0, 16-4; 4-21—at Sunflower Festival (Olathe North, Olathe South); 4-22—at Sunflower Festival (Lawrence, Lawrence Free State); 4-27—at *Garden City; 5-2—Derby; 5-9—Hays-TMP

GARDEN CITY (2-0, 6-4)—WW Hays-TMP 6-0, 7-3; WW Goodland 14-0, 16-0; L Derby 4-5; L Maize South 5-6; LL Clay Center 3-6, 5-9; WW *Liberal 14-2, 19-0; 4-21—Colby; 4-25—at *Hays; 4-27—*Great Bend; 5-2—at *Dodge City; 5-5 to 5-6—at Emporia

DODGE CITY (2-2, 7-3)—WL Hays-TMP 8-5; 3-14; WW Wichita South 18-1, 21-1; WW *Hays High 14-3, 9-8; WW Wichita Heights 22-2, 26-15; LL *Great Bend 1-8, 5-15; 4-25—at Ulysses; 5-2—*Garden City; 5-4—at Derby, vs. Goddard-Eisenhower; 5-5—at Emporia; 5-6—SE Saline; 5-11—*Liberal

HAYS HIGH (0-4, 4-6)—WW Goodland 26-4, 12-2; 3-28—at McPherson, Andover, canceled; LL *Dodge City 3-14, 8-9; L Goddard 1-16; L Maize 0-15; WW Colby 11-1, 15-12; L *Great Bend 0-15, 4-16; 4-25—*Garden City; 4-27—at Salina Sacred Heart, Hays-TMP; 5-2—*at Liberal; 5-12—at Andover Central

LIBERAL (0-4, 3-5)—(4-4—at Ulysses, ppd.); WL Scott City 14-13, 3-13; LL *Great Bend, 0-9, 0-11; WL Hugoton 23-5, 25-3; LL *Garden City 2-14, 0-19; 4-21—Wichita SE; 4-25—at Stanton County; 5-2—*Hays High; 5-5—Stanton County; 5-11—at *Dodge City