Garden City falls on another walk off at Lamar

By Mike Pilosof

Lamar, KS-Unfortunately for Garden City Coach Becky Gundy, she had seen this movie before.

The Broncbusters dropped two more on the road including their third walk-off loss of the season, falling to Lamar 4-1 and 5-4 Wednesday afternoon at Citizens' Field.

Garden City's losing streak reached six games.

Lamar (5-9) struck first in a big-time way in the bottom of the third when Kelsee Bushell crushed a two-run home run off of Shaylene Shepherd for a 2-0 lead. They added two more in the fourth on Samantha McDonald's sacrifice fly that scored Kellee Womack from third and Caitlin McCarthy's RBI single that pushed the lead to 4-0.

Garden City (10-10) finally got the offense going in the top of the sixth. Erica Vessels' two-out, RBI groundout plated Rebekah Roberts to cut the deficit to three. But Micaela Martinez failed to keep the rally going when she flew out to right to end the frame.

The Broncbusters had chance in the final inning, bringing the tying run to the dish after Leisha Nakagawa singled and Hannah Adams drew a four-pitch walk. But reliever Delaney Ramos got Bailee Muxlow-Volk to ground out before striking out Roberts and inducing a fly out by Nicole Milford to end the game.

Reed improved to 2-2 in the circle, striking out four and allowing just one run on three hits in six innings for Lamar. 

Shepherd dropped to 2-2, allowing two earned runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings. Desiree Perea pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. She allowed two hits and struck out one.

Garden City committed two more errors, bringing their season total to 55.

The second game was the one that left an even worse taste in Gundy's mouth.

After spotting the Lopes a 3-0 in the third, Martinez tied it with one swing in the top of the fourth, drilling her team-leading eighth homer of the season: a three-run shot over the left-field wall.

Lamar grabbed the lead back in the bottom half when McCarthy's RBI groundout scored Womack from third.  

The score stayed that way until the top of the seventh when Garden City evened the score once more after Savanna Gyurman, who came into pinch run for Muxlow-Volk following her leadoff single, scored on an error by center fielder Samantha McDonald. But with runners on first and second and nobody out, the Broncbusters could not push anyone across. Adams sacrificed Shephard to third but Nakagawa lined into an inning-ending double play.

That set the stage for another heart-breaking finish.

Mercedes Salazar's one-out double in the bottom of the seventh off of Shepherd ended the game, handing Garden City their seventh road loss of the season.

Shepherd took the loss, while Delaney Ramos picked up her first win of the season, a 13-pitch victory where she allowed one run on three hits.

Next up: Garden City at Barton County-Friday, Mar. 3 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.