BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

WICHITA — Great Bend baseball coach Randy Beck achieved his dream swan song as a coach — the Panthers played for a 5A state baseball championship against St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Panthers competed for its first 5A state baseball championship in 27 years.

AQUINAS 7, PANTHERS 4 (1ST) — The St. Thomas Aquinas Saints spoiled Beck's final game starting with a 3-run first inning for a 7-4 victory. Arkansas commit Lincoln Boyle pitched five innings to earn the victory. Aquinas also captured state baseball titles in 2007, 2024, 2016 and 2024.

Great Bend battled with intensity at the plate after starting with a trio of first-inning strikeouts. The Panthers pressured Aquinas with 14 baserunners in the final six innings.

Down 7-3, the Panthers loaded the bases in the seventh inning. Daxton Minton singled and Ian Premer and Owen Kaiser walked. Jaxson Wondra forced home Minton on a hit batter. Wondra was the tying runner at first base when Aquinas pitcher James Forgy struck out Hunter Herrman to end the ballgame.

Trenton Kern led the offense with two base hits and hard-hit balls, including a few that barely went foul.

Each time the Panthers scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Saints responded with scores in the bottom half of the inning.

Westin Boyle scored on Cru Huenfeld's single. Lincoln Boyle tripled home Huenfeld and scored on a first-inning wild pitch for a 3-0 lead. Carson Umphres doubled and scored on Minton's third-inning groundout for a 3-1 score. 

Lincoln Boyle singled in Huenfeld for a 4-1 lead. Koehn Ribordy walked, stole two bases and scored on a fourth-inning error for a 4-2 score. Henry Goodwin scored on Westin Boyle's sacrifice fly for a 5-2 lead. Minton scored on Kern's fifth-inning single for  5-3 score.

Aquinas answered with Cru Huenfeld's RBI double and William Ray's sacrifice fly that scored Huenfeld for a 7-3 lead.

PANTHERS 4, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST 1 (SEMIFINAL) — Panther starter Hunter Herrman worked 62/3 shutout innings in a dominant 4-1 victory over Blue Valley Southwest in Friday's semifinals. Defending 5A state champion St. Thomas Aquinas beat Great Bend 2-0 during the season.

Great Bend has captured a trio of 5A state baseball championships in 1955, 1995 and 1998.

Herrman (6-1, 1.74 ERA) benefited from spectacular defense when three leadoff runners were erased. Second baseman Slade Mohr and shortstop Daxton Minton combined for a 4-6-3 first-inning double play. Third baseman Trenton Kern turned Coen Lilly's fifth-inning liner into a double play. Herrman took charge with a fourth-inning pickoff on pinch runner Josh Tingey.

Great Bend's offense produced four runs. Minton singled and scored on Koehn Ribordy's 2-out first inning single. Minton's triple scored Carson Umphrey, who doubled in the third inning. Minton scored on Ian Premer's sacrifice fly for  3-0 lead.

Southwest starter Carter Nelson departed after Jaxon Wondra's single scored Ribordy after a single and clutch stolen base for a 4-0 lead.

Herrman recorded two outs after Luke Hanahan scored on Brayden Shannon's single. Minton retired Maxwell Flowers on a fly ball to center fielder Herrman, who finished what he started. Herrman yielded one earned run in 112/3 postseason innings.

Great Bend 000 111 1 — 4 9 0

Aquinas 301 120 x — 7 7 1

Minton, Mohr (4), Kaiser (6) and Kaiser, Wondra (6). Lincoln Boyle, Thornton (6), Forgy (7) and Forgy. W—L. Boyle. L—Minton. 2B—GB—Kern; STA—Huenfeld. 3B—GB—Umphres; STA—L. Boyle.

Blue Valley SW 000 000 1 — 1 4 1

Great Bend 102 001 x — 4 6 1

Nelson, Faciana (6) and Specht. Herrman, Minton (7) and Kaiser. W—Herrman, 6-1. L—Nelson. SV—Minton. 2B—GB—Umphres. 3B—GB—Minton; SW—Lilly, Hanahan.

5A STATE, WICHITA—1ST—St. Thomas Aquinas 7, Great Bend 4; SEMIFINALS—St. Thomas Aquinas 11, Hays High 3; Great Bend 4, Blue Valley Southwest 1; FIRST ROUND—St. Thomas Aquinas 2, Valley Center 0; Hays High 7, Shawnee Heights 6; Great Bend 3, KC Piper 0; Blue Valley Southwest 5, Goddard Eisenhower 2