Broncbusters take down Panhandle State

By Mike Pilosof

Goodwell, Okla.-Garden City got right just in time for conference play.

Tyler Barth hit his first home run of the season, Wilberth Ortiz notched his first win of the year on the bump, and the Broncbusters took down Panhandle State 8-2 Monday afternoon at Aggie Field. It was the brown and gold's second straight win and third in their last four games.

After the Aggies scored in their half of the first, Garden City took the lead for good in the second. Bryce Pearson drew a two-out walk, and Barth smacked a ball over the right-field fence for a 2-1 advantage. An inning later, the Broncbusters padded their lead. Jake Barber swiped home, Mason Mitchell ripped a line-drive, run-scoring single to right, and it was 4-1.

Once Panhandle State got a run back in the third, neither team scored again until the seventh, when a two-run error made it 6-2. In the eighth, pinch hitter Tyler Lusher pushed a run across on another Aggie miscue, which was followed by Pearson's RBI single in the ninth.

Ortiz went two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out two. Starter, Michael Thorne, yielded two runs in three innings. He fanned two.  

Barber finished 2-for-3 at the dish with two stolen bases, Darrian Escobar-Winter had two hits including a double, and Mitchell was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Next up: Garden City vs. Butler-Thursday, March 5, 12:45 p.m. pregame; 1 p.m. first pitch on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr and KWKR mobile app