GREAT BEND — Crest High remains a team on a mission.
The Lancers kept alive their quest for a state championship by knocking off perennial baseball power Pittsburg St. Mary’s Colgan, 5-3, to open the Class 2-1A State Baseball Tournament.
With the victory — the first at a state tournament in Crest baseball history — the Lancers are guaranteed at least fourth place, with the state semifinal and final rounds set for Friday.
Crest will play Little River at 11 a.m. in the state semifinal contest at the Great Bend Sports Complex.
The winner of that matchup will play for the state title at about 5:45 p.m.
“This was a team win,” Lancer head coach Roland Weir said. “I’m really proud of the boys. They battled and backed each other up.”
Crest took control early against Colgan and never looked back, scoring twice without benefit of a hit in the first inning, courtesy of a walk to Trevor Church, a hit batter to Holden Barker, and a double steal that led to a Panther error for the first run, and a passed ball for the second.
That was the prelude to Crest’s three-run second inning, including RBI singles from Ryan Golden and Barker.
“I told the guys before the game we were going to retire them 1-2-3 and then score a couple of runs,” Weir chuckled. “They made it happen.”
The Lancers cooled off from there, as Panther reliever John Potusek limited Crest to one hit over the final four innings — a Holden Barker triple with one out in the fourth. (A subsequent line out and pop fly snuffed that scoring opportunity.)
Nevertheless, that was more than enough for Church, who stymied Colgan’s offense from the start. He allowed a first-inning single, then promptly picked off the baserunner to snuff the rally.
“It started with our pitching,” Weir said. “We got a little sloppy in the middle innings, but Trevor weathered the storm.”
Colgan closed the gap to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth and one more in the sixth.
Church regrouped nicely in the sixth inning, stranding a Colgan runner with the tying run on base, and then closing the game with a perfect seventh and final inning.
He scattered six hits over his complete game win, while striking out seven and walking one.
Barker singled and tripled to pace the Lancer offense. Golden, Jack White and Rogan Weir also had singles.
