MANHATTAN, Kan. — The defending state champion St. Mary's Colgan Panthers built an early 4-0 lead and held on tightly for a 4-3 win over No. 3-seed Frankfort during a Class 2-1A state tournament semifinal Wednesday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium on the campus of Kansas State.

Jayden Brown earned the win and he allowed three runs (all earned) on no hits with seven strikeouts and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Brown could not get out of the fourth, though, as he walked two batters and hit two more.

Brock Radell struck out the first batter he faced in the fourth, but he then walked a batter with the bases loaded and Creighton Farrar put down the perfect bunt to make it a one-run game.

Head coach Mike Watt then called on his sophomore ace Gabe Brown, who struck out Henry Ketter to strike out the side and preserve the one-run lead. Brown would keep Frankfort at bay in the fifth, sixth and seventh and he allowed no runs on no hits with five strikeouts and no walks over 3 1/3 innings.

"You've got to give Frankfort credit, we jumped out early and they battled back and made it a game," Watt said. "Our kids didn't quit, either. Gabe came in and best thing about Gabe is, you know, you can't tell if he's winning, losing, just like the bases were loaded with the tying run on third and he just comes in there and deals. That's very impressive for a sophomore."

"That was my job, that's what I came to do and I did it," Gabe Brown said. "I'd like to shout out Jayden Brown, my brother, a senior. He really showed it there on the mound for 3-4 innings, however many innings it was; he did great."

Colgan pitchers have allowed just one hit over 10 innings of state tournament baseball against No. 2 Spearville and Frankfort.

"They had a couple runners on and we got an out (fourth), I really thought he (Jayden Brown) had battled himself out of that," Watt said. "We just didn't and I thought J.B. up to that point threw really well and gave us a chance to build the lead. Like I told our kids, we had one strikeout and we put the ball in play all day. We just hit it at them and they made the plays. Give them credit, too."

The Panthers (19-7) are back in the state championship game against their opponent from last season, top-seeded Thomas More Prep-Marian (29-1). Thomas More Prep defeated Rossville 6-2 in the first semifinal Wednesday.

The Panthers and the Monarchs are slated for a first pitch at 6:40 p.m. Friday from Tointon Family Stadium.

"Oh, my gosh, we're in the state championship," Watt said. "Our kids love to compete and go out there and give TMP everything they want."

"Get our day off," Gabe Brown said. "Recover and have a great practice (Thursday) and come out Friday and win a 'ship."

The Panther defense committed no errors behind Jayden Brown, Radell and Gabe Brown.

"We didn't have an error today; we've just been very solid defensively," Watt said. "Our infielders take a tremendous amount of pride in that. At practice, they enjoy the little drills that we do and they work at it hard. I mean, I don't even have to tell them what to do, they just run through them and get them done."

Jayden Brown started the game in style at the plate with a triple to center field and he then scored on a Little League home run as Frankfort committed a throwing error to allow Brown to sprint the final 90 feet safely home.

"It was a triple," Watt said. "They threw it and somehow they threw it in and it got past the catcher and we were able to score on that. I didn't exactly see where the throw went. ... I turned around. Where did that throw go on J.B.'s ball? (Watt asks assistant coaches Jacob DeLaTorre and Colton Simmons and Sports in Kansas' Brett Cleland.) Next thing, I see it rolling past the catcher and I'm like, 'Go! Go! Go!' I think everybody was watching J.B. at third."

Jayden Brown and Watt had been celebrating the hit when the ball got away from Frankfort.

Carston Simmons added an RBI single in the first and a RBI 4-3 groundout in the third. Gabe Brown also hit an RBI single in the third and led the Panthers' five-hit attack with two.

Brady Badart worked a pair of walks and scored a pair of runs. The Panthers worked six walks and struck out just once. Badart and Anthony Schremmer each stole a base.

Colgan 202 000 0 — 4 5 0

Frankfort 000 300 0 — 3 1 1

Jayden Brown, Brock Radell (4), Gabe Brown (4) and Carston Simmons; Peyton Adams and Henry Ketter. W: J. Brown. L: Adams. 3B—SMC: J. Brown.

This sports reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/fund/support-local-journalism-project-fund/