By JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

Defending Western Athletic Conference champion Great Bend is on target to repeat after a 3-1 and 5-3 sweep of rival Hays High. Great Bend (8-0, 4-0 WAC) leads Hays High (4-4, 2-2 WAC) by two games.
Panther pitcher Hunter Marcum earned the first-game victory and earned the second victory in three innings of spotless relief. Hannah Honomichl was the first-game spark with a double and triple. Morgan Kottas scored three runs in the nightcap.
GREAT BEND 3, HAYS HIGH 1 — Panther pitcher Hunter Marcum shut out the Indians for six innings by stranding five baserunners. Panther Hannah Honomichl doubled and tripled, scored and drove in a run.
The Panthers played flawless defense until the seventh inning behind Marcum, who walked one batter.  Panther centerfielder Lauren Welsch ended the game by gunning out Mackenzie Fagan at third base on a fly out off the bat of Shannon Schumacher.  The Indians’ Madison Prough scored on an error after she singled and moved to third base on Fagan’s double. But Marcum retired Schumacher on a fly ball.
The Panthers scored in the second inning when Honomichl tripled and scored on Lauren’s Welsch’s fly ball to left field in the second inning.
Great Bend took advantage of the Indians’ loose defense to score a third-inning unearned run. Kendal Sell struck out, but reached base on a passed ball and an errant throw by catcher MacKenzie Fagan. Sell moved to third base on Morgan’ Kottas bunt and scored on an error by pitcher Kaitlyn Brown for a 0-0 lead.
A sixth-inning unearned run handed the Panthers a 3-0 lead. Baylee Beck reached on an error and moved to second base on Carly Dreiling’s bunt. Honomichl’s double drove home Beck.
Hays High shortstop Nicole Dinkel made the best defensive play when she snared a ball hit by Kottas and doubled up Sell at first base in the fifth inning.
GREAT BEND 5, HAYS HIGH 3  -- The Panthers scored three unearned runs to take advantage of every opportunity. The Panthers scored two runs on passed balls and  a third run on an error. Honomichl delivered the game-winning single by driving in Kottas in the sixth inning. Lauren Welsch singled and scored on a passed ball for a 5-3 lead.
Kottas walked and scored on an error in the first inning. In the third, Baylee Beck reached on an error and moved up on Kottas' single. Beck scored on Carly Dreiling's bunt and Kottas scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 lead.
The Panthers' defense came up big when catcher Kottas gunned down Kylie Brown in the second inning. Shannon Schumacher was thrown out on the bases after a third-inning double.
Indian Nicole Dinkel scored on Kylie Brown's grounder in the fourth inning. Madison Prough doubled and Mackenzie Fagan singled in the fifth, bringing in Marcus in relief. Prough scored on Schumacher's groundout and Fagan came home on an error for a 3-3 tie.

GREAT BEND 3, HAYS 1
HHS                AB    R     H   BI
Tessa Stickel      3     0     1    0
Albany Schaffer  3     0     0    0  
Nicole Dinkel      3     0     0    0  
Jaysa Wichers    2     0     1    0  
Kylie Brown        3     0     1    0  
Kaitlyn Brown     3     0     0    0  
M. Prough          3     1     1    0  
M. Fagan           3     0     1     0  
S. Schumacher   3     0    1     0  
Kacie Prous        0     0    0     0  
TOTALS            26    1     6     0
GREAT BEND   AB    R    H    BI
Morgan Kottas    2     0     0    0
Baylee Beck       3     1    0    0
Carly Dreiling      2     0    0    0
H. Honomichl     3     1     2   1
Lauren Welsch    2     0    0    1
M. Bownes         3     0    0    0
Emma Cape       2     0    0     0
Hunter Marcum  2     0    0    0
Kendal Sell        2     1    0    0
TOTALS            21     3    2   2  
Hays High   000 000 1 — 1 6 5
Great Bend  011 001 x — 3 2 1
2B—Stickel. 3B—Honomichl. S—Dreiling, Kottas. SF—Welsch. DP—Great Bend,  Hays High.
HHS        IP   H   R   ER   BB  SO
Ka. Brown   6     2    3    1       0     6
GB          IP    H   R   ER  BB  SO
Marcum       7     4    0    0      1     2

GREAT BEND 5, HAYS HIGH 3
HHS                AB    R     H   BI
Tessa Stickel      3     0     0   0
Albany Schaffer  3     0     1   0
Nicole Dinke      1     1      0   0
Jaysa Wichers   3     0      0   0
Kylie Brown       3     0     1    1
Kaitlyn Brown    3     0     0    0
M. Prough         3     1    1     0
M. Fagan          3     1     1     0
S Schumacher  2     0     1     1
Kacie Prous      0     0     0     0
TOTALS          24     3     5     2
GREAT BEND   AB     R    H   BI
Morgan Kottas     2     3    2   0
Carly Dreiling       1     0    0   1
Lauren Welsch     3     1    1   1
H. Honomichl        3     0    1  1
Kendal Sell           3     0    1   0
Emma Cape          3     0    0   0
Brooklyn Burkhart 3     0    0   0
Allison Neeland     3     0    0   0
Baylee Beck         2     1    0   0
TOTALS             23     5    5   3
Hays High   000 120 0 — 3 5 4
Great Bend  102 002 x — 5 5 1
2B—Schumacher. S—Dreiling 2. DP—Hays High.
HHS      IP   H   R   ER   BB  SO
Wichers     6    5    5    2       1     4
GB        IP    H   R   ER  BB  SO
Honomichl  4     5    3    0      2     0
Marcum      3     0    0    0      0     1
PB—Fagan 2, Kottas.