Hays Post
GREAT BEND – The Hays High softball team split their doubleheader with Western Athletic Conference rival Great Bend Thursday at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The Indians took the opener 11-8 and lost the second contest 13-3. The Indians are now 7-6 overall and 6-1 in Western Athletic Conference play. The Panthers move to 14-5 overall and 7-2 in the WAC.
Game 1: Hays
11, Great Bend 8
Hays High scored six runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead then hold
on for the win.
The Panthers scored two in the first and an a run in the second to grab an early 3-0 lead.
Dani Willeford singled to center with one out in the third which scored Lauren Klein to give the Indians their first run.
After the Panthers tacked on another run in the bottom of the inning to push their lead to 4-1, the Indians seized the momentum with the six-run fourth. Jaylee Summers led off the frame with a double and eventually scored on an error. Dezarae Schmidt walked with the bases loaded to pull HHS within a run. Willeford followed with a two-run double to give the Indians the lead. Hays scored another run on a wild pitch then Lakyn Zimmerman added an RBI double.
Willeford and Zimmerman both had three of three of the Indians 13 hits. Willeford drove in four. Avery Solida hit a solo home run.
Riley Dreher picked up the win allowing eight runs (three earned) on nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts over six innings. Aubrey Thomas pitched a scoreless seventh for the save.
Game 2: Great Bend 13, Hays 3
The Panthers scored seven runs in the fifth to blow the second contest open. They
were assisted by seven HHS errors which led to 10 unearned runs.
The Panthers scored runs in the first and second to take the early 2-0 lead. The Indians answered with two in the top of the fourth to tie the game 2-2. With two outs, Avery Solida singled. Dani Willeford scored from second on the play on an error. Jaylee Summers also singled which scored the courtesy runner Madison Polson.
The Panthers would score two in the bottom of the inning to retake the lead then blew the game open with the seven-run sixth. The Panthers were helped out two errors, a walk and a hit batter and also added a two-run home run.
Aubrey Thomas allowed five runs (two earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts over four innings and suffered the loss. Riley Dreher gave up seven unearned runs in the final 1 1/3 innings.
UP NEXT
The Indians travel to Garden City for a makeup doubleheader with Garden City. They will then play TMP-Marian in a doubleheader at TMP on Thursday.