HAYS — Great Bend High’s baseball team achieved a rare feat with an 8-5 and 16-6 doubleheader sweep over rival Hays High Thursday. The Panthers (7-3, 5-1) take over first place in the Western Athletic Conference. Hays High (7-5, 2-2 WAC) drops into third place.
Friday’s postponed doubleheader against Nickerson has been scheduled Monday, May 9. Great Bend plays again Tuesday at Dodge City.
• GREAT BEND 8, HAYS HIGH 5 — Jared Maneth and Brayden Smith each drove in two runs and Great Bend rolled to a 6-1 lead and held off Hays High’s rally. Pitcher Brett Basye worked hard to earn the victory, yielding two runs in the seventh inning.
The Panthers scored four first-inning runs when the first six batters reached base. Jaxx Hillman and Anson Hall singled and Brady Michel was a hit by a pitch the load the bases. Maneth’s single drove home Hillman. Smith’s single drove home Hall. Michel scored on Bryce Lytle’s groundout. Logan Perry’s single drove home courtesy runner Konner Ireland for a 4-0 lead.
In the second inning, Hall doubled and scored on Maneth’s single. In the third inning, Lytle walked and Payton Mauler singled before Jacob Murray’s single drove in Lytle for a 6-2 lead. Michel and Maneth scored fourth-inning runs for an 8-2 lead. Smith delivered an RBI single.
Hays High’s Marcus Altman scored a first-inning run. Altman doubled home Cole Schumacher in the third inning. Connor Rule’s single drove home Palmer Hutchison in the fifth inning. The Indians added two seventh-inning runs. Altman doubled and scored on Dalton Stout’s single. Brayden Delzeit’s double scored Stout for an 8-5 score.
• GREAT BEND 16, HAYS HIGH 6 — Hillman delivered three hits and Anson Hall, Maneth, Lytle and Konner Ireland each drove in two runs.
The Panthers closed strong with an eight-run seventh inning. All nine batters contributed a hit, run or RBI. Hillman and Brady Michel each delivered three hits. Hall, Maneth and Lytle each drove in two runs. Shortstop Ireland and second baseman Hillman turned a double play. Pitcher Lytle earned the victory despite yielding three extra-base hits.
The Panthers’ Hall drilled a two-run single to cap the seventh inning. Maneth, Lytle, Payton Mauler and Michel also drove in runs. A four-run first inning also proved effective. The Panthers had six runners reach base on a walk or hit by pitch. Three runs were forced home and Mauler’s sacrifice fly drove another run home.
Jacob Murray singled home Mauler in the third inning. Hillman drove home Ireland in the fifth inning. Ireland singled home Lytle in the sixth inning.
The Indians scored four runs in the third inning. Jace Armstrong singled and scored on Cole Schumacher’s triple. Marcus Altman’s single drove home Schumacher. Dalton Stout singled home Altman and Brayden Delzeit’s sacrifice fly drove home Connor Rule. Connor Rule drilled a two-run homer in the fifth inning.

GREAT BEND 8, HAYS HIGH 5
GREAT BEND           AB  R  H BI  
Jaxx Hillman          2  1  1  0
Anson Hall            3  2  2  0
Brady Michel          3  2  1  0
Jared Maneth          4  0  3  2
Konner Ireland       0  2  0  0
Brayden Smith         4  0  2  2
Bryce Lytle           2  1  0  1
Payton Mauler         4  0  1  0
Logan Perry           4  0  1  1
Jacob Murray          4  0  1  1
TOTALS               30  8 12  7
HAYS High            AB  R  H BI  
Cole Schumacher       3  1  0  0
Marcus Altman         4  2  3  1
Connor Rule           3  0  0  1
Dalton Stout          4  1  2  1
Brayden Delzeit      4  0  2  1
Jace Armstrong        0  0  0  0
Jared Haynes          4  0  0  0
Jarett Pfannenstiel   4  0  1  0
Drew Young            3  0  1  0
Jace Hutchison        2  1  1  0
TOTALS               31  5 10  4
Great Bend 412 200 0 — 8 12 2
Hays High 101 010 2 — 5 10 0
  2B—Hall; Altman 2, Stout, Delzeit. S—Lytle. SB—Murray, Altman. LOB—GB 9, HH 7.
Great Bend          IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
Brett Basye          7   10    5    4    3    2
 Hays           
Altman               3   11    8    7    2    1
Pfannenstiel         4    1    0    0    2    3
 
GREAT BEND 16, HAYS HIGH 6
GREAT BEND           AB  R  H BI  
Jaxx Hillman          5  2  3  1
Anson Hall            5  2  2  2
Brady Michel          3  2  2  0
Jared Maneth          5  0  1  2
Brett Basye          0  2  0  0
Brayden Smith         1  1  0  1
Bryce Lytle           3  2  0  2
Payton Mauler         4  1  2  1
Konner Ireland        2  2  1  2
Jacob Murray          3  2  1  1
TOTALS               31 16 12 12
HAYS High            AB  R  H BI  
Cole Schumacher       4  1  2  1
Marcus Altman         3  2  2  1
Connor Rule           3  2  1  2
Dalton Stout          4  0  1  1
Brayden Delzeit      3  0  0  1
Jared Haynes          3  0  0  0
Jarett Pfannenstiel   3  0  1  0
Drew Young            2  0  0  0
Jace Armstrong        2  1  1  0
Trey Riggs            1  0  1  0
TOTALS               28  6  9  6
Great Bend 401 021 8 — 16 12 0
Hays High 004 020 0 — 6 9 2
     2B—Michel, Altman. 3B—Schumacher. HR—Rule. SF—Mauler, Ireland. S—Ireland. SB—Michel, Lytle. LOB—GB 12, HH 5.
Great Bend          IP   H    R   ER   BB   SO
Bryce Lytle         7    9    6    6    1    1
 Hays
Schumacher         0    1    4    4    3    0
Stout               4.1  6    3    3    4    1
Riggs               2.1  4    7    4    4    1
Wynn                0    0    2    1    1    0
Hutchison           0.1  1    0    0    0    0
HBP—Schumacher 2 (Hall, Lytle); Wynn (Murray), Lytle 2.