The Great Bend Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Saint Thomas Aquinas Saints at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Great Bend: 3.2, Saint Thomas Aquinas: 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Great Bend took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Emporia 14-4. The result was nothing new for Great Bend, who have now won four contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Carson Umphres made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking 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.
Meanwhile, Saint Thomas Aquinas waltzed into their game on Monday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Dragons 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.
Great Bend's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. As for Saint Thomas Aquinas, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
Great Bend came up short against Saint Thomas Aquinas when the teams last played back in May of 2019, falling 6-2. Can Great Bend avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
