BY JIM MISUNAS jmisunas@gbtribune.com WICHITA — Great Bend pitcher Carson Umphres passed his NBC World Series test with flying colors. Now, Umphres is a member of the NBC World Series baseball championship with the Hutchinson Monarchs. Umphres fashioned six innings of shutout baseball to spark the Hutchinson Monarchs to a 9-0 victory over the Seattle Blackfins in Wednesday's NBC bracket play at Wichita State. The Monarchs (33-8) dominated Lonestar Kraken, Texas by a record-setting 21-4 score in Saturday's championship showdown at downtown Equity Park. Hutchinson captured the 2023 title and placed runner-up to the Hays Larks in 2024. Monarch coach Casey Lippoldt knew Umphres could help after he threw shutout baseball for six innings against the Monarchs. Lippoldt has coached the Monarchs to two NBC titles and a runner-up finish in three seasons. "Carson handled himself well, and was a great addition for us," Lippoldt said. "Carson's strikeout-to-walk ratio was impressive. He throws strikes and let his defense work." Lippoldt used Umphres as the Monarchs' fourth starter. "Once we had to play the extra game, Carson was our fourth starter," he said. "Carson passed the eye test. He shut us down. He's a fine young man who bonded quickly with his teammates. He's respectful and has been raised the right way by his parents." Barton County Cougar southpaw Daegan Vinduska from Manhattan threw in relief for the Monarchs. Barton Cougar recruit J.J. Spafford also competed for the Monarchs with 4-for-12 hitting with five runs scored at the NBC World Series. MONARCHS 21, LONESTAR TEXAS 4 (CHAMPIONSHIP) — Wichita State's Jaden Gustafson drilled a trio of doubles for five RBI to spark the Monarchs to a 17-0 lead. Monarch Jake Gutierrez batted .552 (16-for-29) to earn Most Valuable Player honors with a trio of RBI and three runs scored. Wichita State's Drew Bugner scored four runs with three hits and two RBI. The Monarchs top trio batted 8-for-13 with 10 runs scored and 10 RBI. Tyson Vassart drove home three runs. The Monarchs enjoyed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6-run innings. A fatigued Lonestar pitching staff collapsed after 20 innings Friday in a marathon two games that started at 9 a.m. and lasted until Saturday morning. "Everything fell into place. We knew Lonestar used a lot of pitchers Thursday and Friday, so we stressed being patient at the plate," Lippoldt said. "Once we started hitting, we held the upper hand. It snowballed on Lonestar. We've made three straight NBC World Series finals. That's not easy. It took a great baseball coach like Frank Leo 40 years to win an NBC title at Hays." The Monarchs used a interchangeable lineup until the NBC World Series. "The summer is for the players to work innings and get at-bats. Once we go to postseason, we're playing for the Hutchinson Monarchs," he said. "We'll use our best pitchers and put our best lineup on the field at the NBC. I get my 'family style' of coaching from my dad." MONARCHS 3, SEATTLE STUDS 2 (SEMIFINAL) — The Monarchs used a 3-run third inning for a thrilling 3-2 semifinal revenge victory over the Seattle Studs Friday. J.J. Spafford scored on a double steal with Jake Gutierrez and Drew Bugner singled home Gutierrez. Bugner scored on Jaden Gustafson's double. Monarch starter Bradyn McClure threw 62/3 innings followed by Brady Pacha and Mitchell Johnson for a scoreless ninth inning save. Hutchinson overcame hitting into four double plays in the first, fifth, seventh and eighth innings. "It helped winning two close games. We held a lead late and won an exciting walk off victory," Lippoldt said. Kraken's Jackson Copeland doubled home Brad Carl in the first inning. Copeland doubled home Cade Stocking in the eighth inning. LONESTAR KRAKEN 9, HAYS LARKS 8 (SEMIFINAL) — Kraken's Preston Curtis ended a marathon 11-inning classic with the game-winning homer after last year's NBC champion Hays rallied from an 8-1 deficit. Kraken's Curtis drove home three runs and Diego Gonzalez drove in two runs. Hays' Tabor Stokes drove in three runs and Trent Baker drove in two runs. MONARCHS 2, GOLDPANNERS 1 (QUARTERFINAL) — The Monarchs continued to thrive with a 2-1 quarterfinal victory. Drew Bugner singled home Dylan Bell with the game-winning run off pitcher Jonah Walker. Hutchinson (31-8) will play the Seattle Studs at 6 p.m. Friday. Hutchinson's Jake Gustafson scored the tying unearned run on a wild pitch after reaching base on a strikeout. Alaska's Christian Ole singled home Garrett Davidson. MONARCHS 9, SEATTLE BLACKFINS 0 (FIRST ROUND) — Umphres has struck out 44 batters with four walks in 422/3 summer innings. Great Bend Bat Cat pitcher Umphres (5-1, 1.64 ERA) has enjoyed a strong summer. "This means a lot to me. This is one step higher than high school because it's the next level," Umphres said. "I'm competing against college hitters." He replied on an effective fastball for six strikeouts with no walks in an effective 67-pitch outing. Umphres retired the leadoff batter in six consecutive innings. "They didn't catch up to my fastball, so I didn't throw many off-speed pitches," he said. "My fastball stayed up and rode into right-handed batters. This is really cool to beat a team from Seattle." Hutchinson baseball coach Casey Lippoldt saw Umphres up close when the Bat Cats lost 2-1 June 13 at Great Bend. "It means a lot that their coaches had confidence in me," he said. "I'm playing with guys coming onto their last year of college baseball." Hutchinson's Drew Bugner led the way with three hits, three RBI and three runs scored. Jake Gutierrez scored three runs. Bugner's first-inning RBI was followed by Blake Bradford's 2-run double. Bugner scored on a groundout after his RBI double and error plated two runs for a 6-0 lead. Jake Knox doubled home Bradford. Tyson Vassart's single scored Gutierrez and Bugner for a 9-0 lead after four innings. Umphres respects the Monarchs' lineup which rolled up nine runs. "Hutchinson is the best baseball team I've played with, pitching, hitting and defense," he said. "It's fun to see what they can do hitting the baseball." Umphres earned all-state honors for the 5A state runner-up Great Bend Panthers. Umphres (8-2, 1.45 ERA) earned Western Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player honors. SEATTLE STUDS 1, DERBY TWINS 0 (QUARTERFINAL) — Seattle's Ben Schnurman drove home Bradley Carl with a sacrifice fly for the game-winning run. Great Bend Bat Cat Kyle Walker batted 7-for-18 with two doubles and six runs scored for Derby. Bat Cat Peanut Brazzle batted 4 for 18 with three runs scored. Derby pitcher Peyton Walters threw six shutout innings. HAYS LARKS 10, SAN DIEGO STARS 4 (QUARTERFINAL) — Hays pitcher Simon Lunsford threw 62/3 shutout innings with nine strikeouts. C.J. Reid drove in three runs and Dylan Larue drove in two runs. Hays (31-4) is riding a 17-game winning streak. Hays lost games to Dodge City, Liberal, Collegiate Rough Riders, Colo. and Game Day Angels, Colo. LONESTAR KRAKEN 6, SANTA BARBARA 4 (QUARTERFINAL) — Kraken's Preston Curtis delivered a sacrifice fly and Ethan Ho's double scored Chase Pendley for an 6-4 quarterfinal victory. In other first-round games, Lonestar Kraken downed TPA Texas 10-2; the Derby Twins edged the Junction City Brigade 6-4, and the San Diego Stars beat Lonestar Collegiate 9-7. LONESTAR KRAKEN 10, TPA TEXAS 2 (FIRST ROUND) — Kraken's Josh Livington drove home three runs and Curtis drove in two runs. DERBY 6, JUNCTION CITY 4 (FIRST ROUND) — Derby's Kade Sheldon and Great Bend Bat Cats Peanut Brazzle and Kyle Walker scored on a Noah Allison double and subsequent error in a 3-run ninth inning. SAN DIEGO STARS 9, LONESTAR COLLEGIATE 7 (FIRST R)UND) — San Diego's Frank Giacalone drove home three runs and Ethan Wright drove home two runs. SEATTLE STUDS 9, HUTCHINSON MONARCHS 5 — Four walks and an error gift wrapped a 5-run Seattle Studs inning that clinched a bracket bye. Monarch rightfielder Jake Gutierrez dropped the baseball after colliding with centerfielder Dylan Bell on a routine fly ball to open the door. Monarch reliever Cole Toureau walked three consecutive batters and yielded a 2-run single to G Thompson. Seattle's Jackson Copeland drove in two runs with four hits. Hutchinson's Bell stayed hot with a 2-run homer. HUTCHINSON MONARCHS 13, SAN DIEGO STARS 5 (POOL B) — Hutchinson's A.J. Mustow ignited a 4-run rally with a bases-loaded triple that sparked a 13-5 opening victory over the San Diego Stars. Friday's 6 p.m. game was delayed two hours by lightning. Gutierrez and Drew Bugner each drove in three runs as the Monarchs sped past San Diego. Bugner's RBI double drove home Bell with the game-ending run. Gutierrez delivered four hits. HUTCHINSON MONARCHS 10, DODGE CITY A'S 0 (POOL B ) — Monarchs pitcher Bradyn McClure spun a 1-hit shutout with 73 efficient pitches Sunday. The Monarchs (29-7, 2-1) qualify for bracket play. Monarch Jake Gutierrez drove in three runs and Drew Bugner delivered three hits. Jake Knox drove in two runs. Gutierrez has six RBI in two NBC games. DODGE CITY A's 8, SEATTLE STUDS 0 (POOL B) — Dodge City reliever Jason Fink struck out five batters in 52/3 innings to spark an 8-0 victory over the Seattle Studs. Dodge City's Matt Perez drove in two runs in a 7-run third inning. Edward Gregory, Zach Hoskins, Blake Coleman, Isaiah Velasco and Kayne Carlos drove home runs. SEATTLE STUDS 7, SAN DIEGO STARS 2 (POOL B) — The Seattle Studs stayed alive for bracket play with a 7-2 win over the San Diego Stars. HAYS LARKS 9, OKLAHOMA MVP 8 (POOL A) — Defending NBC World Series champion Hays (30-4) secured back-to-back 1-run wins to clinch a spot in bracket play. HAYS LARKS 6, SEATTLE BLACKFINS 5 (POOL A) — Defending NBC World Series champion Hays (29-4) preserved a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Blackfins when reliever Nolan Wilson retired the final three batters. Hays' Taber Stokes drove in two runs. Lorenzo Rios and Wilbert Espinosa drove in runs. Seattle's Brody Blum drove in two runs. LONESTAR KRACKEN 9, SEATTLE BLACKFINS 1 (POOL A) — Lonestar Kracken clinched a spot in bracket play with a 9-1 win over the Seattle Blackfins. LONESTAR KRAKEN 10 OKLAHOMA MVP 1 (POOL A) — Lonestar's Preston Curtis drove home four runs with a trio of doubles to ignite a 10-1 victory over Oklahoma MVP. Josh Livingston drove in two runs. A trio of pitchers combined for eight strikeouts. Lonestar's D.J. Pinkerton doubled and homered and drove home four runs. Matthew Fletcher singled twice and drove home four runs. SANTA BARBARA 10, BTL HORNETS 0 (POOL C) — Santa Barbara clinched a spot in bracket play with a dominating 10-0 win over BTL Hornets. SANTA BARBARA 11, DERBY TWINS 1 (POOL C) — Santa Barbara pitcher Zach James struck out five batters in 62/3 innings. Santa Barbara's Easton Moomau and Zane Becker each drove home two runs. Xavier Esquer, Cade Chamberlain, Mic Paul and Caden Miller each drove in one run. DERBY 9, LONESTAR COLLEGIATE 4 (POOL C) — The Derby Twins stayed alive for bracket play with a 9-4 victory over Lonestar Collegiate. LONESTAR COLLEGIATE 11, BTL HORNETS 0 (POOL C) — Lonestar Collegiate pitcher Jaden Bahl threw three shutout innings with four strikeouts to beat the BTL Hornets. JUNCTION CITY BRIGADE 11, TPA TEXAS 7 (POOL D) — Former Great Bend Bat Cat Kyler Horsman ripped a 2-run homer and 2-run single for the Brigade. Logan Myers, Brayden Harpole and Peyton Firgens each drove in one run. Reliever Kaden Gray earned a save with three shutout innings. JUNCTION CITY BRIGADE 15, GPS LEGENDS 8 (POOL D) — Junction City's Ian Luce doubled and drove home five runs and Chad Pantuso drilled a 2-run homer with three RBI to spark the Brigade. The Brigade opened with an 8-run first inning. Junction City has scored 26 runs in two games with a showdown against the Alaska Goldpanners (2-0) Tuesday. ALASKA GOLDPANNERS 10, GPS LEGENDS 7 (POOL D) — The Alaska Goldpanners edged GPS Legends 10-7. NBC WORLD SERIES, WICHITA STATE 8-2—CHAMPIONSHIP (Equity Bank Park)—7 p.m. Hutchinson Monarchs (32-8) vs. Lonestar, Kraken, Texas 8-1—SEMIFINALS—Hutchinson 3, Seattle Studs 2; Lonestar Kraken 9, Hays Larks 8 7-31—QUARTERFINALS—Hutchinson Monarchs 2, Alaska Goldpanners 1; Seattle Studs 1, Derby Twins 0; Hays Larks 10, San Diego Stars 4; Lonestar Kraken 6, Santa Barbara Foresters 4 7-30—FIRST ROUND—Lonestar Kraken 10, TPA Texas 2; Hutchinson Monarchs 9, Seattle Blackfins 0; Derby Twins 6, Junction City Brigade 4; San Diego Stars 10, Lonestar Collegiate 7 POOL A—Hays Larks 6, Seattle Blackfins 5; Lonestar Kraken 10, Oklahoma MVP 1; Hays Larks 9, Oklahoma MVP 8; Lonestar Kraken 9, Seattle Blackfins 1; Seattle Blackfins 7, Oklahoma MVP 5; Hays Larks 7, Lonestar Kraken 4; Q—Hays Larks 3-0 (22-17); Q—Lonestar Kraken 2-1 (23-9); Q—Blackfins 1-2 (13-20); Oklahoma MVP 0-3 (14-26) POOL B—Dodge City A's 8, Seattle Studs 0; Hutchinson Monarchs 13, San Diego Stars 5; Seattle Studs 7, San Diego Stars 2; Hutchinson Monarchs 10, Dodge City A's 0; San Diego Stars 11, Dodge City A's 10; Seattle Studs 9, Hutchinson Monarchs 5; Q—Seattle Studs 2-1 (16-15); Q—Hutchinson Monarchs 2-1 (28-14); Q—San Diego Stars 1-2 (18-30); Dodge City 1-2 (18-21) POOL C—Lonestar Collegiate, 11, BTL Hornets 0; Santa Barbara 11, Derby Twins 1; Santa Barbara 10, BTL Hornets 0; Derby Twins 9, Lonestar Collegiate 4; BTL Hornets 10, Derby Twins 3; Santa Barbara 5, Lonestar Collegiate 0; Q—Santa Barbara 3-0 (26-1); Q—Lonestar Collegiate 1-2 (15-14); Derby 1-2 (13-25); BTL Hornets 1-2 (10-24) POOL D—Junction City Brigade 11, TPA Texas 7; Alaska Goldpanners 10, GPS Legends 7; JC Brigade 15, GPS Legends 8; Alaska Goldpanners 15, TPA Texas 6; 7-29—TPA Texas 10, GPS Legends 9; Goldpanners 2, JC Brigade 0; Q—Goldpanners 3-0 (27-13); Q—JC Brigade 2-1 (26-17); Q—TPA Texas 1-2 (23-35); GPS Legends 0-3 (22-23)