The Great Bend Panthers will challenge the Dodge City Demons at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The last four games Great Bend has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While Great Bend's victory against Liberal wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Panthers skirted past the Redskins 3-1. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Redskins recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Daxton Minton
| 04/29/25 vs Liberal | 0 |
| 04/18/25 @ Bishop Carroll | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Hays | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ Liberal | 1 |
Daxton Minton made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Minton wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Koehn Ribordy, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Great Bend hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberal struck out six times.
Meanwhile, Dodge City came into Tuesday's game having lost six straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Garden City on Tuesday, sneaking past 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Demons have posted against the Buffaloes since April 22, 2022.
Dodge City let Liam Torrez and Nomar DonJuan run wild. Torrez went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while DonJuan went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two hits gave DonJuan a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Finn Martinez, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.
Great Bend's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Dodge City, their win bumped their record up to 7-11.
Great Bend took their victory against Dodge City in their previous meeting on April 7th by a conclusive 8-0 score. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Demons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
