LIBERAL — Great Bend scored 26 runs to power past Liberal 14-6 and 12-1 in Friday's Western Athletic Conference baseball sweep. The No. 5 ranked Panthers (8-1, 4-1 WAC) play Hays High (5-1, 4-0 WAC) in a battle for first place Tuesday.

PANTHERS 14, LIBERAL 6 — Carson Umphres drilled a leadoff homer. Great Bend's top four hitters produced nine hits, seven runs and nine runs batted home. Umphres drove home three runs. Daxton Minton, Ian Premer and Trenton Kern each drove in two runs.

Minton scored on Premer's double and Premer scored on Jaxon Wondra's groundball in a 3-run first inning. Owen Kaiser homered to open a 5-run second inning. Slade Mohr scored on Minton's sacrifice fly. Peyden Oelger scored on a passed ball. Umphreys scored on Premer's second double. Premer scored on Kern's single for an 8-0 lead.

Liberal's Brayden Betts scored on a groundout and Austin Dodge homered. Ethan Olmstead singled home a run and scored on an error for a 4-run second inning. 

Umphres singled home Mohr's and scored on Minton's single for a 10-4 lead. Mohr singled in Oelger, Mohr scored on Umphres' double and Umphres scored on Kern's hit-by-pitch for a 13-4 lead. Koehn Ribordy scored on Oelger's groundout for a 14-4 lead.

PANTHERS 12, LIBERAL 1 (G2) — Great Bend busted the game open with an 8-run sixth inning. Hunter Herrman struck out six batters in 52/3 innings.

Jaxon Wondra capped a 4-RBI game with a 2-run single that scored Premer and Kern. Minton doubled home Umphres. Kern doubled home Premer. Kaiser singled home Oelger. Ribordy, Kaiser and Jace Schartz scored on Mohr's double.

Premer singled home Minton in a 2-run first inning. Premer scored on Wondra's sacrifice fly. Wondra singled home Kern and Jace Schartz scored on Kaiser's single in a 2-run third inning. 

Great Bend 352 003 1 — 14 14 6

Liberal 040 000 2 — 6 8 2

Kaiser, Minton (3) and Wondra. Betts, Dodge (2), Hernandez (5) and Olmstead. W—Minton. L—Betts. 2B—GB—Premer 2, Umphres. HR—GB—Umphres, Kaiser; L—Dodge

Great Bend 202 008 — 12 13 1

Liberal 000 010 — 1 5 3

Herrman, Oelger (6) and Wondra. Hubbard, Alonzo (6) and Olmstead. W—Herrman. 2B—GB—Minton 2, Mohr, Kern.

WAC BASEBALL

Hays High 4-0 5-1

Great Bend 4-1 8-1

Dodge City 1-2 5-4

Liberal 1-3 3-9

Garden City 1-4 3-5

4-11—Great Bend 14-12, Liberal 6-1; Hays 9-9, Garden City 3-5

4-15—Hays at Great Bend (2); 

4-17—Hays at Clay Center (2); Woodward, Okla. at Liberal (2)

4-18—Great Bend at Wichita Carroll (1)

4-19—Manhattan at Dodge City; Liberal at Olathe East, Olathe West; Garden City at Junction City, Manhattan