BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

LIBERAL — When the two worst Western Athletic Conference baseball teams upset the league leaders Tuesday, the results created a wild race to the finish line.

Down the homestretch, all five WAC teams could win the baseball title.

Great Bend (5-3), Garden City (5-4), Hays High (4-4), Dodge City (3-4) and Liberal (2-4) could all win the WAC title if they win their remaining games.

After Great Bend squeezed out a 4-2 first-game victory, Liberal pounded the Panthers 11-6.

PANTHERS 4, LIBERAL 2 (G1) — Reliever Koehn Ribordy painted a masterpiece save with back-to-back called strikeouts on 3-2 counts to strand the bases loaded with the tying baserunner at second base.

Starter Daxton Minton (2-1, 2.80 ERA) threw brilliantly with a 9-strikeout performance, but departed after 107 pitches. Minton has 42 strikeouts in 30 innings.

Blayden Betts tagged Ribordy for an RBI double and Bren Kappelmann walked to load the bases. Ribordy struck out Landry Fitzgerald and Eathan Hernandez to end the ballgame.

Kale Kern doubled and scored on Ribordy's forceout. Minton and Ribordy scored on Jaxon Wondra's 2-out fifth-inning single for a 4-1 lead.

Jaxon Wondra scored on a Rafael Chavez fourth-inning double. Liberal's Evan Castillo scored on a Kye Morris single after a fifth-inning walk and an error.

LIBERAL 11, PANTHERS 6 (G2) — Panther starter Chavez (2-2) yielded five first-inning runs following three hit batters and a pair of walks.

Bentley Betts ripped 2-run single and Kappelmann, Hernandez drove in runs and Elder Ramirez added an RBI on a bunt for a 5-0 lead. Liberal added five second-inning runs.

The Panthers extended their stay in Liberal by manufacturing six runs. Chavez scored on Kale Kern's double. Minton scored on an error with Liberal one out away from a run-rule.

The Panthers used three walks and two errors for a 4-run seventh inning.Minton scored on an error and Ribordy scored on a wild pitch. Jaxon Wondra scored on Kale Kern's single. Trenton Kern scored on a bases-loaded walk for an 11-6 final.

Liberal 000 010 1 — 2 5 2

Great Bend 000 130 x — 4 6 2

Morris, Kappelmann (4), Bentley Betts (6) and Blayden Betts. Minton, Ribordy (7) and Jaxon Wondra. W—Minton, 2-1. L—Kappelmann, 2-2. SV—Ribordy. 2B—GB—Kale Kern 2, Chavez; L—Hernandez.

Great Bend 000 110 4 — 6 8 5

Liberal 551 000 x — 11 10 0

Chavez, Prilling (1), Chancler (3), Dreiling (5) and J. Wondra. Hernandez, Dodge (3), Olmstead (5) and Blayden Betts. W—Dodge, 1-0. L—Chavez. 2B—GB—K. Kern.

WAC BASEBALL

Great Bend 5-3 10-7

Garden City 5-4 10-9

Hays High 4-4 4-10

Dodge City 3-4 7-8

Liberal 2-4 9-9

4-28—Great Bend 4-5, Liberal 3-11; Dodge City 8-13, Garden City 3-5

4-30—Hays at Liberal (2)

5-1—Dodge City at Great Bend (2); Garden City at Hays (1)

5-2—Liberal at Manhattan