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SPLIT DECISION
Buffalo pitcher quiets Panther bats after hot start
spt deh gbhs baseball v garden homer congrats
Great Bend High School Panther baseball team members congratulate Koy Brack (27) for his third-inning solo homer in the Panthers home stand with the Garden City Buffaloes Tuesday afternoon at the Great Bend Sports Complex. - photo by DALE HOGG Great Bend Tribune

On a 78-degree day, Great Bend’s bats were red hot against Garden City.
Koy Brack led the first-game attack with a double, triple and homer in an 11-6 Western Athletic Conference baseball victory. Brack hit 5-for-7 in the twin bill and is batting .536 (15 for 28).
But Garden City held an ace up its sleeve. Buffalo pitcher Cooper Thayer handcuffed the Panthers’ bats in a 9-0 second-game victory.
Great Bend (3-5, 1-3 WAC) plays Colby at home Friday to finish out eight home games in 10 games.

GREAT BEND 11, GARDEN CITY 6 (G1) — Brack delivered a go-ahead fourth-inning triple for a 7-6 lead that scored Chance Perry. Garden City elected to pitch to the Panthers’ hottest hitter with first base open and two out.
“I was looking for a pitch to drive, trying to bring home Alex Schremmer,” Brack said. “Everyone will agree it’s a lot better hitting conditions today than we’ve seen.”
Brack delivered a leadoff third-inning homer and a first-inning double to achieve 3/4ths of a hitting cycle. Buffalo pitcher Carson Scheeter showed off an effective curveball, but worked behind in the count.
“We stayed off the curveball and were looking for fastballs,” Brack said. “It was good for our guys to see the baseball like we did today.”
Starter Townshend Kurth completed a hard-earned six innings with two shutout innings. The Panthers’ defense turned a pair of double plays. Left-fielder Chance Perry turned a fly ball by Cooper Thayer into a third-inning double play. First baseman Eddie Bujanda snared a line drive by Kris Henderson and doubled up Auston Waetzig.
Bujanda’s two-run double scored Schremmer and Brack for a 3-0 lead after Perry scored on a first-inning wild pitch. Joey Soupiset’s single scored Bujanda.
Garden City’s Elier Arreola, Lance Allred and Isaiah Ramos delivered RBI singles in the second inning. Waetzig’s RBI triple and Henderson’s RBI single handed the Buffaloes a 5-4 lead.
Brack’s third-inning homer was followed by Riley Smith’s RBI single for a 6-5 lead. Lance Allred’s single drove home Arreola for a 6-6 tie.
Perry’s bases-loaded triple with two out scored Soupiset, Smith and Dalton Bieker for a 10-6 lead. Perry scored on an error for an 11-6 lead.

Garden City 032 100 0 — 6 8 0
Great Bend 402 140 x — 11 11 0
Scheeter and Henderson. Kurth, Schremmer (7) and Brack. W—Kurth, 2-0. L—Scheeter, 0-1. 2B—GB—Brack, E. Bujanda; 3B—GB—Brack; Perry; GC—Arreola, Waetzig. HR—GB—Brack.

GARDEN CITY 9, GREAT BEND 0 (G2) – Garden City’s ace pitcher Thayer missed the Buffaloes’ first four games that saw the Buffaloes yield 45 earned runs in 18 innings – a 17.50 earned run average. But Thayer worked 42/3 innings of shutout ball to earn the victory. Reliever Auston Waetzig threw 11/3 innings.
Brack solved Thayer for a double and single for the Panthers base hits.
The Buffaloes scored seven runs off Panther starter Alex Schremmer using small ball by converting bunts into two big innings.
Allred and Andrew Kreutzer started a 3-run inning with back-to-back bunts. Allred scored on David Artega’s’ infield hit. Waetzig followed with an RBI triple and scored on Thayer’s groundout.
Artega delivered a three-run triple after a walk, error and a bunt single. Thayer’s RBI single scored Artega in the 4-run fourth inning. Elier Arreota’s two-run single off reliever Riley Smith capped a nine-run night.

Garden City 003 400 2 – 9 11 2
Great Bend 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
Thayer, Waetzig (5) and Kreutzer. Schremmer, Hall (4), Smith (7) and Brack. W—Thayer, 1-0. L—Schremmer, 0-1. 2B—GB—Brack. 3B—GC—Artega, Waetzig.

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

TUESDAY’S GAMES
Great Bend 11, Garden City 6
Garden City 9, Great Bend 0

FRIDAY’S GAMES
Colby at Great Bend
Hays High at Liberal
Dodge City at Hutchinson
Garden City at Hays-TMP

LIBERAL (2-0, 6-0)—WW Hugoton 14-0, 11-1; WW Ulysses 15-0, 16-1; WW *Great Bend 11-5, 11-7; 4-13—*Hays High; 4-16—Guymon, Okla.; 4-19—at Alva, Perry, Okla.; 4-20—at Blackwell, Okla., Crossings Christian; 4-24—*Dodge City; 5-1—*at Garden City; 5-4—at St. Thomas Aquinas; 5-5—at St. Thomas Aquinas; 5-8—*Garden City

HAYS HIGH (2-0, 4-0)—WW Russell 10-2, 22-8; WW *Dodge City 20-1 12-2; 4-7—Wichita Carroll, ppd.; 4-13—*Liberal; 4-17—*Garden City; 4-24—*Great Bend; 5-3—Great Bend, Wichita Life Prep; 5-4—Salina Central; 5-5—Goddard Eisenhower; 5-11—Valley Center

GARDEN CITY (1-1, 1-5)—LL Wichita Heights 0-10, 1-11; LL Junction City, 1-11, 4-15; 4-6—Wichita North, ppd.; 4-10—*at Great Bend; 4-13—at Hays-TMP; 4-17—*at Hays High; 4-20—*Dodge City; 4-27—*at Dodge City; 5-1—*Liberal; 5-4—at Emporia; 5-5—at Emporia; 5-8—*at Liberal; 5-10—Wichita West

GREAT BEND (1-3, 3-5)—LL Goddard, 1-10, 6-7; WW Wichita Independent, 8-0, 13-3; LL *Liberal 5-11, 7-11; WL *Garden City 11-6, 0-9; 4-13—Colby; 4-17—at Hays-Thomas More Prep; 4-24—*at Hays High; 5-3/5-5—at Hays Diamond Classic; 5-8—*at Dodge City

DODGE CITY (0-2, 3-5)—WL Wichita East 3-0, 1-5; WW Wichita South 23-0, 11-1; LL *Hays High 1-20, 2-12; LL Hays-TMP 6-11, 6-12; 4-13—Hutchinson; 4-20—*at Garden City; 4-24—*at Liberal; 4-27—*Garden City; 5-4—Wichita Heights; 5-8—*Great Bend; 5-11—at Wichita Southeast, Derby