BY JIM MISUNAS
HAYS – Great Bend Panther Tyler Stuhlsatz delivered on the mound and at the plate by reaching base five times to spark Tuesday’s doubleheader baseball sweep over Hays Thomas More Prep 7-3 and 15-0. The Panthers hit nine doubles in the twin bill.
The Panthers (10-3) improve to the second-best record in the 5A West standings. Great Bend (5-2 WAC) will vie for a share of the Western Athletic baseball title Friday at Dodge City.
“Tyler’s game was huge,” said Great Bend coach Randy Beck. “That’s the outing he needed. We’re going to need him next week. I’m sure we’ll be ready to play Dodge City Friday.”
PANTHERS 7, TMP 3 (G1) – Lefthander Stuhlsatz finished in style with three strikeouts to finish a solid 95-pitch outing. He retired nine of the final 10 batters. Stuhlsatz (1-1) lowered his earned run average from 58.7 to 9.00 with seven brilliant innings by mixing pitches effectively. He had yielded 11 earned runs in 21/3 innings.
The game swung back-and-forth with a 3-3 tie before the Panthers broke the game open with a 4-run sixth inning. Sage Koelsch scored on a Paco Hernandez triple. Hernandez scored on a Chayse Gruber sacrifice fly. Stefan Spray, Gavin Haberman and Brad Beck drew walks. A Stuhlsatz double scored Spray and Haberman for a 7-3 lead.
The Panthers led 1-0 when Koelsch and Hernandez delivered back-to-back doubles. Garett Feauto scored on Griffin Schumacher’s second-inning double. Nick Herrman’s single scored Nick Helget for a 2-1 lead after three innings.
Gruber scored on Haberman’s fifth-inning double. Brad Beck’s single scored Haberman for a 3-2 lead. Monarch Jace Wentling, 3 for 4, scored on a passed ball for a 3-3 tie after five innings.
PANTHERS 15, TMP 0 (G2) – Great Bend’s Stefan Spray (3-0) spun a 2-hit shutout with a season-high five strikeouts. Spray (3-0) lowered his earned run average to 1.57 in 131/2 innings.
Koelsch and Hernandez stayed red hot with five hits apiece in the twin bill. Brad Beck drove home three runs. Koelsch and Jade Poe each drove home two runs. Hernandez, Gruber and Beck each delivered three hits. Nine players scored runs and eight had hits and drove in runs.
“We put the pressure on them defensively,” coach Beck said. “I was pleased 1 through 9. They came through with runners in scoring position. It was good to see everyone swinging it. We got guys on base. We let them swing the bat and saw what they could do. We were successful with the bunting game too.”
The Panthers broke the game open with an 8-run fourth inning. Stuhlsatz and Carter Coombs set the table by reaching base on back-to-back bunts.
Great Bend 100 024 0 – 7 12 0
Hays TMP 010 110 0 – 3 8 0
Stuhlsatz and Poe. Morgan, Rack (6) and Wentling. W—Stuhlsatz, 1-1. L—Morgan. 2-1. 2B—GB—Koelsch, Hernandez, Haberman, Stuhlsatz; H—Schumacher. 3B—Gb—Hernandez.
Great Bend 142 8 – 15 18 0
Hays-TMP 000 0 – 0 2 4
Spray and Poe. Herrman, Wentling (2), Feauto (4) and Morgan. W—Spray, 3-0. L—Herrman. 2B—GB—Hernandez, Gruber, Haberman, Koelsch, Stuhlsatz.
WAC BASEBALL
Hays High 6-2 7-4
Great Bend 5-2 10-3
Dodge City 2-3 6-7
Garden City 3-5 7-8
Liberal 1-5 8-8
4-19—*Great Bend 4, Dodge City 3; *Liberal 14, Garden City 5
4-21—*Great Bend 11, Hays 2
4-22—Garden City 9, Scott City 6; Dodge City 16, Scott City 6; Wichita Life 11-1, 10-0, 6-3 Liberal
4-25—Liberal 6-0, 13-3 Wichita South
4-26—Great Bend 7-3, 15-0 Hays-TMP; *Dodge City 7, Garden City 3
4-28—Hays at Bonner Springs
4-29—*Great Bend at Dodge City
HAYS HIGH (6-2, 7-4)—WW *Liberal 12-2, 10-0; WL Washburn Rural 14-4, 18-22; WL *Garden City 15-3, 10-16; W *Great Bend 16-6; WW *Dodge City 8-2, 8-2; L *Great Bend 2-11; L DeSoto 1-2; 4-28—Bonner Springs/Tonganoxie or Basehor-Linwood; 5-5 to 5-7—at Hays Tournament (4); 5-10—Ulysses (2)
GREAT BEND (5-2, 10-3)—W Junction City 11-0; L McPherson 2-8; WW Hutchinson 7-6, 11-2; WW *Liberal 7-4, 10-1; L *Hays 6-16; WL *Garden City 5-4, 3-4; W *Dodge City 4-3; W *Hays High 11-2; WW Hays-TMP 7-3, 15-0; 4-29—*at Dodge City (1); 5-5 to 5-7—at Hays Tournament; 5-13—at Goddard Eisenhower
DODGE CITY (2-3, 6-7)—LL Andover 5-7, 5-7; L Newton 6-8; L Valley Center 2-4; W *Garden City 8-2; WW Wichita South 15-5, 11-0; LL *Hays High 2-8, 2-8; L *Great Bend 3-4; W Scott City 16-6; W Garden City 2-1; W *Garden City 7-3; 4-29—*Great Bend (1); 5-3—at Campus, McPherson; 5-6-7—at Emporia, vs. Blue Valley West; 5-10—*at Liberal (1); 5-12—*Liberal (1)
GARDEN CITY (3-5, 7-8)—W Newton 5-4; L Circle 1-2; L Augusta 3-6; W *Liberal 9-8; WW Goodland 14-3, 11-1; L *Dodge City 2-8; WL *Hays High 16-10, 3-15; WL *Great Bend 4-3, 4-5; L *Liberal 5-14; W Scott City 9-6; L Dodge City 1-2; L Dodge City 3-7; 5-2—Lamar, Colo. (2); 5-6—at Emporia (2); 5-12—Hays-TMP (2)
LIBERAL (1-5, 8-8)—WW Hugoton 15-3, 15-3; L *Garden City 8-9; LL *Hays High 2-12, 0-10; LL *Great Bend 4-7, 1-10; W Guymon, Okla. 13-2; WW Woodward, Okla. 19-12, 16-7; W *Garden City 14-5; LLL Wichita Life 3-6, 1-11, 0-10; WW Wichita South 6-0, 13-3; 5-2—Elkhart (2); 5-10—*Dodge City (1); 5-12—*at Dodge City (1)
