Garden City earns a split at Hesston

By Mike Pilosof

Hesston, KS-Garden City bounced back with a series split with Hesston on Saturday, winning game one 5-2 before dropping the finale 8-5.

Garden City (10-8, 1-3) struck first in the opener when Erica Vessels and Nancy Wiebe scored on an error by Katelen Lassley at second in the top of the first, giving the Broncbusters a 2-0 advantage.

Hesston sliced the lead in half with a run in the fifth; then tied the game in the sixth on Sierrah Long's line-drive double to left.

But Garden City had the answer in extra innings. Bailee Muxlow-Volk slapped an RBI single in the eighth followed by Hannah Adams two-run base hit that put the Broncbusters up 5-2.

Samantha Akers polished off her fourth win of the season in the bottom half, inducing two ground outs and a line out, completing another efficient start where she threw 103 pitches in eight innings. She gave up just two runs on eight hits.

Her counterpart Ashley Yasin took the loss, surrendering four runs on six hits in eight innings.

In the final game of the day, Hesston's offense awoke in the top of the first, tagging starter Bailey Brawner for three runs; two of which were unearned.

Garden City fought back to take the lead in the top of the third. Vessels RBI groundout followed by Ariel Denney's RBI single and Taylore Hartman's run-scoring double tied the game 3-3. Denney then came around on an error by Aubrey Martinez in center to push the Broncbusters in front 4-3.

But the lead never stuck. A miscue by Micaela Martinez in the bottom half allowed the Larks to tie the game. Jocelyn Chavez en singled home a run, and Reese MCCrary added an RBI double to put Hesston up 6-4.

Garden City got right back in it the following inning when Martinez smashed a lead-off home run to cut the deficit to one, 6-5.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when Sam Amarante tattooed Denney's 1-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer that stretched Hesston's lead to 8-5.

The Broncbusters went in order in the seventh.

Brawner was the losing pitcher for Garden City, allowing six runs on seven hits in three innings. Denney gave up two more in three innings of relief.

Yasin picked up the win in relief for Hesston, holding Garden City scoreless in 3.2 innings of work. She struck out two and walked two.

Next up: Garden City at Lamar-Tuesday, March 13 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.