Muxlow Volk's dramatics lead Broncbusters to split with Seward

By Mike Pilosof

Garden City, KS-After getting swept on Saturday, the Broncbusters showed more fight on Monday. And it came against one of the premier teams in the Jayhawk Conference.

Bailee Muxlow-Volk's walk-off bunt single gave the Broncbusters a 10-9 victory in game two before Seward County took the opener 6-3 Monday afternoon at Tangeman Sports Complex.

In game one, Garden City went right to work in the second inning. Muxlow-Volk came around on a passed ball and Taylore Hartman doubled home Micaela Martinez. Angel Jimenez followed with a run-scoring double, and the Broncbusters had a 3-0 advantage.

Seward County (36-13, 11-3) made their move in the fifth. Sage Harrison stroked one of her two hits in the opener: an RBI single that cut the deficit to two. Maycee Koontz added an RBI hit before Jordan Garrison's two-run double put the Saints in front 4-3. Rebekah Roberts error in center allowed the fifth run to cross two batters later.

The Saints added an insurance run in the sixth, thanks to Harrison's double that plated Taylor Kathler.

Garden City (13-27, 2-12) had their chance in the final frame, putting the tying runs on in the seventh after Erica Vessels drew a leadoff walk and Hartman laced a two-out single. But Seward hurler Ruby Gonzalez got Jimenez to fly out to center field to end the threat.

Game two took on a much different look.

After Garden City took a 1-0 lead on Hartman's RBI groundout in the second, the Saints answered with two of their own in the third, fueled by Jullian Atteberry's sacrifice fly and Vessels error at short that allowed Garrison to score to give Seward County a 2-1 advantage.

The Broncbusters were not down for long, and Leisha Nakagawa's rope double to center tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the third before Hartman smashed a two-out single in the sixth that pushed Shaylene Shepherd across for a 3-2 lead.

Cue the fireworks.

The Saints appeared to have the game in the bag following Kristyna Garcia's grand slam off Haleigh Johnson in the top of the seventh that put Seward County on top 8-3. But Garden City showed their resiliency in the bottom half when Nakagawa doubled home Roberts and Martinez crushed a grand slam of her own to tie the game at 8.

It stayed that way until the 10^th, that's when Koontz RBI fielder's choice put the Saints back in front 9-8. But Samantha Akers struck out Garrison to keep it a one-run game, and Jimenez scorched a line-drive single that scored Hartman from second to tie the game in the bottom half.

Akers then worked a perfect 11^th setting up Muxlow-Volk, who laid down a perfect bunt single that scored Nicole Milford from third, giving Garden City third first win over Seward County since April 8, 2015.

Akers picked up the win for the Broncbusters, going 3 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Gonzalez took the loss for the Saints, allowing three hits in four innings of relief after starting game one.

Next up: Garden City at Colby-Thursday, April 13 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.