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Great Bend Bombers lose in semifinals in 37-team field
Carson Umphres pitches 1.jpg
Carson Umphres pitches against Hutch. - photo by Hugo Gonzalez

PARKVILLE, Mo. — The Great Bend Bombers won four consecutive games before losing 5-4 to Jacksonville, Ill. in Sunday's semifinals in the PBR Creekside Baseball Tournament. The Bombers (7-3) placed third in the 37-team 17-and-under bracket. The Bombers continue to prove players from smaller-sized cities can compete favorably with high-dollar travel teams. 

Bombers coach Jonathan Mariani is assisted by Landon Sciacca.

JACKSONVILLE, ILL. 5, BOMBERS 4 (SEMIFINAL) —Jacksonville's Dylan Huff beat a throw from first baseman Campbell Coleman to catcher Owen Kaiser for the game-winning run after a leadoff triple.

Hays High reliever Trace Jacobs threw four shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts for a 4-4 tie after 61/2 innings.

Cheney's Caleb Eastman scored on Cooper Johnson's second-inning groundout. Carson Umphres singled in Hoisington's Tony Moore for a 2-0 lead.

Shortstop Moore and second baseman Johnson turned a second-inning double play to limit Jacksonville to a 4-run second inning for a 4-2 lead. Jace Lautemann and Mason Marshall hit RBI singles. Lautemann scored on a wild pitch. Luke Saxe scored on a double play.

Great Bend's Owen Kaiser ripped a 2-run double that scored Carter Graham and Josh Burdick for a 4-4 tie after 21/2 innings.

BOMBERS 6, OLATHE 5 (QUARTERFINAL) — Reliever Graham threw two shutout innings  to preserve a hard-fought 6-5 victory over Olathe in Sunday's quarterfinals. Centerfielder Umphres turned a seventh-inning double play by catching Grant Pollak's fly ball and relaying to shortstop Moore to double up Tristan Prier.

Umphres stayed hot at the plate with two hits, two runs scored and two RBIs. Umphres singled in Tony Moore in a 3-run third inning. Lane French scored on a groundout. Umphres scored on Koehn Ribordy's single.

Umphres singled in Moore to start a 3-run fourth inning. French scored on a double-play groundball. Umphres scored on Josh Burdick's single. 

Olathe's Connor Bohon drove in two runs and Taylor Slocombe and Treyton DesLauriers drove in one run.

BOMBERS 5, ELKHORN, WIS. 0 — Great Bend Bombers pitcher Hunter Herrman threw a 4-hit shutout to beat Elkhorn, Wis. 5-0.  Herrman struck out six batters in a masterful 88-pitch outing.

Carson Umphres drilled a 2-run homer and Tony Moore scored two runs, tripled and singled twice. After Moore walked, Umphres launched a first-inning homer for a 2-0 lead. Umphres singled in Moore to ignite a 3-run fifth inning. Carter Graham doubled in Lane French. Campbell Coleman scored on Burdick's groundout for a 5-0 lead.

BOMBERS 3, EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO. 2 — Bombers pitcher Umphres threw a 1-hitter with eight strikeouts to spark a 3-2 victory over the Lumberjacks.

Tony Moore scored on an error and Lane French scored on Graham's first-inning sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. Umphres yielded two fourth-inning runs.

Cooper Johnson singled and moved to second base on Brady Hope's seventh-inning sacrifice bunt. Johnson scored on 2-out error when the Lumberjacks committed an error attempting to turn a double play.

BOMBERS 12, LOVELAND, COLO. 3 — Koehn Ribordy doubled and drove in three runs and Graham tripled and drove in two runs to spark a 9-run sixth inning.

Umphres singled in Moore and Umphres scored on a first-inning error. Moore drilled a third-inning homer for a 3-1 lead.

The Bombers snapped a 3-3 tie with a 9-run sixth inning. Graham tripled in Herrman. Ribordy doubled in Graham and Carson Shaver. Hope's single scored Ribordy. Hope and Moore scored on wild pitches. Johnson scored on Campbell Coleman's single. Umphres scored on Graham's single and Coleman scored on Ribordy's groundball for a 12-3 lead. 

GB Bombers 022 000 0 — 4 5 1

Jacksonville, Ill. 040 000 1 — 5 8 0

Ribordy, Jacobs (3) and Kaiser. Olseon, Huff (2), Myren (6) and Knoedler. W—Huff. L—Jacobs, 1-1. 2B—GB—Kaiser. 3B—J—Huff. 

Olathe 102 020 0 — 5 7 1 

GB Bombers 003 300 0 — 6 9 2

Slocombe, Valenta (4), Mercer (5) and Hignite. Johnson, Graham (6) and Burdick. W—Johnson, 2-0. L—Valenta. SV—Graham. 2B—GB—Moore; O—Bohon, Prier.

Elkhorn, Wis. 000 000 0 — 0 4 2

GB Bombers 200 030 x — 5 8 0

Stewart, Ruby (5) and Jones. Herrman and Kaiser. W—Herrman, 2-0. L—Stewart. 2B—GB—Graham. 3B—GB—Moore. HR—GB—Umphres.

GB Bombers 201 009 — 12 10 0

Loveland, Colo. 010 020 — 3 2 1

Eastman, Jacobs (5) and Kaiser. Maki, Muster 5), Smaic (5), Maanen (6) and Gonzales. W—Jacobs, 1-0. L—Smaic. 2B—GB—Moore, Umphres, Ribordy. 3B—GB—Graham. HR—GB—Moore.

Excelsior Springs, Mo. 000 200 0 — 2 1 2

GB Bombers 200 000 1 — 3 7 1

Kruse and Scuma. Umphres and Burdick.  L—Scuma. 2B—GB—Ribordy.

GREAT BEND—Hunter Herman, Owen Kaiser,  Koehn Ribordy, Carson Umphres

HAYS—Carter Graham, Trace Jacobs, Cooper Johnson

CHENEY—Josh Burdick, Cameron Eastman

HOISINGTON—Lane French, Tony Moore

LARNED—Brady Hope, Carson Shaver

ELLINWOOD—Campbell Coleman

GREAT BEND BOMBERS (7-3)

JUNE 6-9—Wichita Big Fire (3-2); L—Wichita 316 (4-5); L—Moore 0-1;  W—Wichita Baty 3-1; W—Herrman 1-0; W—Warriors Crone 10-2; W—Umphres, 1-0; W—Saints 2-0; W—Johnson 1-0; L—Wichita Baty 3-7; L—Kaiser 0-1 

PBR Creekside, Parkville, Mo. (4-1)—W—Loveland, Colo 12-3; W—Jacobs, 1-0; W Excelsior Springs, Mo.  3-2; W Umphres 2-0; W Elkhorn, Wis. 5-0; W Herrman 2-0; W Olathe 6-5; W Johnson, 2-0. L Jacksonville, Ill. 5-6; L Jacobs, 1-1

JUNE 20-23—Wichita V-Tool

JULY 4-7—PBR Creekside, Parkville, Mo.

JULY 11-14—Wichita, NBC Qualifier

JULY 18-21—PBR Creekside, Parkville, Mo.