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Umphres sparks Panther baseball sweep
Carson Umphres pitches 2.jpg
Carson Umphres pitches against Hutch. - photo by Hugo Gonzalez

Panther baseball sweeps Salthawks

HUTCHINSON – Great Bend ace pitcher Carson Umphres capped a 4-3 baseball victory over Hutchinson High with back-to-back strikeouts to strand the tying baserunner at third base. The Panthers (5-0) won the nightcap 14-2.

Umphres (2-0, 1.50) was stretched to 103 pitches when he struck out Julian Lyons. Umphres struck out Kevin Wilson for his 10th strikeout with 109 pitches.

PANTHERS 4, HUTCHINSON 3 (G1) –  Great Bend escaped a hard-fought opener when Hutchinson starter Julian Lyons limited the damage for a 13-hit attack.

Umphres (16 strikeouts, 14 innings) was dominant after a 2-run first inning. Caiden Beavers scored on Lakin Franz’s triple. Franz scored on Carter Morgan’s sacrifice fly.

Panther Owen Kaiser doubled and scored on a second-inning error. Umphres doubled and scored on Ian Premer’s fifth-inning single for a 2-2 tie.

Salthawk Jack Davis doubled and scored on a fifth-inning wild pitch for a 3-2 lead. J.J. Grove singled home Trenton Kern after a sixth-inning double for a 3-3 tie.

Hutchinson’s Morgan nearly gave the Salthawks a 4-3 lead, but he was called out for interference.

PANTHERS 14, HUTCHINSON 2 (G2) – Great Bend drilled six extra-base hits. Umphres delivered two doubles and Premer hit a pair of triples. Owen Kaiser doubled and J.J. Grove homered and drove home four runs.

Kaiser drove home three runs. Umphres and Premer each had three hits. Hunter Herrman (2-0) worked five innings and drove in two runs. Slade Mohr, Umphres, Premer and Carson Poe each drove home a run.

Batting averages through five games feature Trenton Kern (.800); Premer (.470); Kaiser (.461), Umphres (.438), Herrman (.424), Grove (.400), Carson Poe (.400< Shane Ribordy (.384), Slade Mohr (.400) Peyden Oelger (.375) and Daxton Minton (.308).

Great Bend 010 011 1 – 4 13 1

Hutchinson 200 011 0 – 3 6 3

Umphres and Kaiser. Lyons, Keeler (6) and Morgan, Valadez. W—Umphres, 2-0. L—Keeler. 2B—GB—Umphres, Kaiser, Mohr, Kern; H—Parks, Davis. 3B—H—Franz.

Great Bend 511 115 – 14 13 0

Hutchinson 001 001 – 2 5 1

Herrman, Mohr (6) and Kaiser. Beavers, Valadez (4), Watkins (6) and Franz. W—Herrman, 2-0. L—Beavers. 2B—GB—Umphres 2, Kaiser. 3B—GB—Premer 2. HR—GB—Grove.