A Good and Bad Friday for Redskins

The Liberal Redskins and Great Bend Panthers split a double header on Good Friday at the National Beef Sports Complex.  The Redskins won the first game 7-4 but fell apart in the second game in a 15-1 loss.

In game one, Liberal scored in the first when Aidan Schwindt lofted a solo home run over the left field wall.  The Redskins scored three in the second for a 4-0 lead.  Marco Alonso singled and Alex Schwindt and Aidan Schwindt walked with two outs.  With two outs and the bases loaded, Brooks Kappelmann lined a two RBI single to center for the 3-0 lead.  Aidan Schwindt scored on a Great Bend throwing error to third for the 4-0 lead.  Great Bend made a move in the fifth thanks in part to some shaky Redskin defense.  The Panthers scored three unearned runs on three hits and two errors.  One of the hits was a routine fly ball lost in the sun.  But the Redskins responded with three in the fifth to take a 7-3 lead.  Marco Alonso walked and Adan Mata laid down a sac bunt. Xavier Porras walked.  Alex Schwindt ripped an RBI ground rule double off the scoreboard in left center for the 5-3 lead.  Aidan Schwindt singled to left through the drawn in infield for the 7-3 lead.  Great Bend scored a run on three hits in the sixth.  But LHS closed it out in the seventh.  Both teams had nine hits.  Liberal committed five errors and GBHS had one.  Brooks Kappelmann improved to 3-0 on the mound going five innings with 12 strikeouts, two walks, and no earned runs.  Zayden Martinez pitched two innings striking out five.  Seventeen of Liberal’s 21 recorded outs were strikeouts which was key due to the errors and struggles with the sun.  Offensively, Aidan Schwindt was 2-3 with a home run and three RBI’s and two runs.  Schwindt was Epic Touch Player of the Game.  Brooks Kappelmann was 2-4 with two RBI’s.

Liberal played their worst game of the season in game two.  Great Bend scored 10 runs in the first on nine hits and three errors.  Only three runs were earned.  The Panthers added one in the second and four in the third.  LHS scored in the second when Fidel Avila singled home a run.  Fidel Avila was the Epic Touch Player of the Game for LHS.  He went 2 and 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks.  Great Bend out-hit Liberal 13-1.  LHS had four errors making nine on the day.

Great Bend is 3-3 and 1-1 in the WAC.  Liberal is 4-3 and 2-3 in the WAC.  After four straight losses to the Panther during the 2022 and 2021 season, LHS beat GBHS for the first time since 2019.  Liberal hosts Dodge City Wednesday night at the National Beef Sports Complex.  The JV game is at 4pm with the varsity game at 6pm with Redskin Pre-game at 5:45 on 1270 and 92.3.