Garden City can't hold the lead; loses opener to Pratt

By Mike Pilosof

Pratt, KS-This is one that Becky Gundy will definitely want back.

Celeste Chavez drove in three runs, Alyssa Reyes did some early damage control, and Pratt stormed back from five runs down to beat Garden City 10-5 Wednesday afternoon at Lemon Park.

This game looked like a Broncbuster blowout right from the start. Carley Powley wacked a two-out, RBI single in the top of the first, McKayla Encinias drilled a three-run bomb followed by Audrey Graf's solo shot in the second, and Garden City was up 5-0.

But everything flipped from there. The Broncbusters managed just three baserunners the rest of the way. Meantime, Pratt stormed back with three runs in the fourth, fueled by McKenzie Manriquez and Nikole Puetez, who ripped RBI singles, while another run came across on Encinias's error at short, cutting Garden City's lead to 5-3. An inning later, another Encinias' miscue coupled with Puetez run-scoring base hit and Chavez's three-run single, put Pratt in front 8-5. They added two more in the sixth.

Megan Walz took the loss for Garden City, giving up eight runs on seven hits. But she didn't get much help behind her. The Broncbusters committed four errors, the third most in a game this season. And after coming out on fire to begin the game, Garden City managed just one hit over the final five innings.

Reyes kept the Broncbusters off balance from the third inning on, scattering just five hits over seven innings.