The Saint Thomas Aquinas Saints will play host again on Friday to welcome the Great Bend Panthers, where first pitch is scheduled at 3:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Saint Thomas Aquinas is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Kansas' top teams: Pittsburg, who was ranked 21st in their home state at the time (Saint Thomas Aquinas was ranked ninth). Saint Thomas Aquinas came out on top in a nail-biter against Pittsburg on Monday and snuck past 10-8. Saint Thomas Aquinas' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Meanwhile, Great Bend stacked a fourth blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 14-4 margin over Emporia.
Carson Umphres made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Umphres was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trenton Kern, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Koehn Ribordy, who scored a run while going 2-for-5.
Saint Thomas Aquinas' victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-2. As for Great Bend, their win bumped their record up to 9-3.
Saint Thomas Aquinas was able to grind out a solid victory over Great Bend when the teams last played back in May of 2019, winning 6-2. Does Saint Thomas Aquinas have another victory up their sleeve, or will Great Bend turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
