BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com
The red-hot Great Bend Panthers swept past Garden City 8-2 and 17-7 with a perfect mix of defense, pitching, baserunning and clutch hitting Tuesday.
Great Bend (17-5, 6-2 WAC) continues to solidify a top four 5A West record heading into the home stretch. The Panthers play at McPherson and Manhattan to close down the regular season.
PANTHERS 8, BUFFALOES 2 (G1) — Great Bend shortstop J.J. Grove would've earned a Gold Glove, accounting for nine Garden City outs in the opener, including turning double plays in both games. Grove showed off perfect glovework and an accurate throw to first baseman Ian Premer. Grove turned a Cole Hopkins groundball into a fifth-inning double play.
"That was fun," Grove said. "Defense is where it's because I have control of everything that I'm doing. That was a great feeling today."
Southpaw reliever Koehn Ribordy (2-0, 5.25 ERA) was spectacular with four strikeouts in three shutout innings. Starter Daxton Minton (2-0, 0.40 ERA) yielded two unearned runs.
The tandem of Carson Umphres and Trenton Kern took care of the offense. Umphres ripped three hits and a first-inning RBI. Kern singled twice and drove in two runs.
The Panthers chased Buffalo starter Henry Bors (2-3) with a 5-run second inning. Owen Kaiser, Ribordy, Kern and Premer delivered RBIs. Daxton Minton scored on a bizarre error when Bor threw the ball away on an appeal play.
Peyden Oelger forced home a run on a bases-loaded walk, Kern singled home Premer for a 8-2 lead.
PANTHERS 17, BUFFALOES 7 (G2) — Great Bend was on cruise control after a 9-run first inning. Premer enjoyed the game's signature moment when he rumbled around the bases for an inside-the-park grand slam that scored Minton, Grove and Ribordy for a 16-7 lead. Premer drove in a career high five runs.
Oelger delivered the game-winning single to score Owen Kaiser for the run-rule victory. Oelger drove in three runs. Minton and Ribordy each drove in two runs.
Grove turned Kyler Metzen's third-inning groundball into a 6-4-3 double play with second baseman Oelger.
Five Panther errors contributed to six unearned runs off starter Hunter Herrman (5-2, 3.71 ERA) and reliever Oelger (0.00 ERA). Jon Almanza drove in three runs for Garden City (6-9, 0-7 WAC).
Through 22 games, Premer is batting .460 (29 for 63); Umphres .415 (27 for 65); Kern .412 (21 for 51) and Grove .359 (23 for 64).
Garden City 002 000 0 — 2 1 1
Great Bend 150 110 x — 8 9 0
Bors, Strecker (2), Zundt (6) and Culden Plankenhorn. Minton, Ribordy (4), Stoney (7) and Kaiser. W—Ribordy, 2-0. L—Bors, 2-3. 2B—GB—Umphres, Premer.
Garden City 103 30 — 7 6 3
Great Bend 911 51 — 17 13 5
Finch, Brayson Plankenhorn (1), Metzen (2), McGraw (5) and C. Plankenhorn. Herrman, Oelger (4) and Kaiser. W—Herrman, 6-2. L—Finch. 2-3. 2B—GB—Umphres. HR—GB—Premer.
5A WEST—1—Andover Central 16-3, 2—Maize South 15-4, 3—Great Bend 17-5, 4—Wichita Carroll 14-5, 5—Wichita Kapaun Mt. Carmel 14-6, 6—Topeka Seaman 11-6, 7—Hays High 12-7, 8—Andover High 13-8, 9—Hutchinson 12-8, 10—Goddard 13-9, 11—Goddard Eisenhower 10-8, 12—Salina South 8-10, 12—Emporia 8-12; 14—Newton 7-12; 15—Salina Central 5-14; 16—Arkansas City 5-16; 17—Valley Center 4-20; 18—Topeka West 3-17
WAC BASEBALL
Hays 8-0 12-7
Great Bend 6-2 17-5
Dodge City 3-4 7-12
Liberal 1-5 9-8
Garden City 0-7 6-9
TUESDAY—Great Bend 8-17, Garden City 2-7; Dodge City 13, Liberal 1
THURSDAY—Hays TMP at Hays
FRIDAY—Great Bend at McPherson; Garden City at Scott City; Liberal at BV West; Brush, Colo. Manhattan at Hays
SATURDAY—Hays vs. Wichita Life; Lawrence, Free State at Liberal
HAYS HIGH (8-0, 12-7)—WW Salina Central 8-3, 7-5; WW Liberal 1-0, 16-1; WL Washburn 4-1, 4-5; WW Garden City 12-2, 9-3; WW Great Bend 4-0, 5-4; LL Clay Center 2-3, 4-5; WW Dodge City 3-2, 18-2; L BVSW 0-1, L SM North 0-4; L Gardner 0-1; W Bonner 10-0; L Basehor 3-5 Hays TMP; 5-3 Brush, Colo. Manhattan; 5-4 Wichita Life; 5-9 at Salina South, Buhler
GREAT BEND (6-2, 17-5)—W Russell 17-0; WW Pratt 1-0, 10-6; WW Hutchinson 4-3, 14-2; WL Kapaun 8-7; 0-2; WW Liberal 8-5, 6-0; LL Hays 0-4, 4-5; WW Rose Hill 14-4; McPherson 3-1; L Aquinas 0-10; W Spring Hill 3-1; L De Soto 4-11; WW Hays TMP 9-0; 11-5; WW Dodge City 1-0; 5-4; WW Garden City 8-2; 17-7; 5-3 at McPherson; 5-8 at Manhattan
DODGE CITY (3-4, 7-12)—WW Ulysses 11-3, 8-2; LL Newton 2-4, 2-6; LL Valley Center 4-10, 5-17; W Garden City 7-2; WW Salina Central 2-0, 7-3; L Junction City 1-12, L Manhattan 1-8; LL Hays 2-3, 2-18; LL BV West 2-5, L Wichita Heights 2-8; W Garden City 13-3; LL Great Bend 0-1; 4-5; W Liberal 13-1; 5-4 Lawrence, Lawrence Free State; 5-7 Liberal; 5-9 at Goddard Eisenhower
LIBERAL (1-5, 9-8)—WW Hugoton 17-0, 12-0; LL Hays 0-1, 1-16; LL Goddard Eisenhower 1-11, 9-12; LL Great Bend 5-8, 0-6; W Garden City 14-1; WW Woodward, Okla. 14-7, 10-0; Wichita North (WW); L Piedmont, Oka. 4-6; 4-23 Russell, ppd.; WW Holcomb 3-0; 9-6; L Dodge City 1-13; 5-3 at BV West; 5-7 Dodge City; 5-10 Garden City
GARDEN CITY (0-6, 6-9)—WW Wichita North 24-4, 17-2; WW Goodland 2-0, 8-1; L Dodge City 2-7; LL Hays 2-12, 3-9; L Liberal 1-14; W Junction City 6-0, L Manhattan 3-9; L Dodge City 3-13; WL Wichita Southeast 13-3; 0-5; LL Great Bend 2-8; 7-17; 5-3 at Scott City; 5-7 Hays TMP; 5-10 at Liberal
