BY JIM MISUNAS

jmisunas@gbtribune.com

On a Senior Night when Great Bend pitchers Chayla Prendergast and Braelyn Turner struggled, the Panther bats rose to the rescue.

The Panthers (23-1) worked hard to rally past McPherson 9-6 after beating Junction City 11-5.

PANTHERS 9, MCPHERSON 6 — McPherson (17-7) tagged Prendergast (12-1, 1.34 ERA) for nine hits and five runs. She has 93 strikeouts in 781/3 innings.

Reliever Alyssa McCauley worked 21/3 effective innings, yielding a homer to Rylie Whitfield.

McPherson's Brooke Doile delivered an RBI single, Whitfield scored on a wild pitch and Kadence Zaharis scored on an error for a 3-0 lead.

Katherine Mazouch hit a 2-run homer, Kya Behr scored on an error and Denver Ringo hit an RBI single for a 4-3 lead.

The Panthers rallied from a 5-4 deficit with a 4-run fifth inning. Behr homered, Koelsch hit an RBI single and Kamryn Koelsch and Mikala Minton scored on passed balls for an 8-5 lead.

Behr homered for the Panthers' final run.

PANTHERS 11, JUNCTION CITY 5 — The Blue Jays chased Turner (11-0, 2.98 ERA) with five runs, only one earned. Prendergast threw two shutout innings.

Denver Ringo led the offense with four runs batted home. Super-sub Rydlie Swanson blasted a 2-run pinch-hit homer. Camdyn Post, Mazouch, Behr, Callie Umphres and Turner each drove in one run.

Junction City 004 001 0 — 5 4 1

Great Bend 200 034 — 11 14 1

Delory and Nabs. Turner, Prendergast (6) and Koelsch. W—Turner, 11-0. L—Delory. 2B—GB—Behr, Mazouch. HR—Swanson.

McPherson 210 020 1 — 6 11 4

Great Bend 004 041 — 9 9 2

Evans, Schroeder (3) and Jones. Prendergast, McCauley (5) and Koelsch. W—Prendergast, 12-1. L—Evans. 2B—GB—McCauley; M—Whitfield. HR—GB—Behr 2, Mazouch; M—Whitfield.

5A GREAT BEND PROJECTED (5-18 to 5-21)—1 Great Bend (22-1) vs. 16 Hutchinson (8-18); 8 Goddard (15-7) vs 9 Valley Center (14-10)