Broncbusters run-rule Miles; earn series split

By Mike Pilosof

Garden City, KS-Things definitely calmed down a lot in the series finale on Monday.

Alexis Maestretti mashed two home runs, Micaela Mirabal went deep as well, and Garden City avenged a wild 27-26 loss to Miles in game three by taking the finale 13-4 in a six-inning run-rule.

And for some reason, Amy Schmeckpeper's team thrives on adversity because for the fourth time in the series, the Broncbusters fell behind early.

Olivia Cook's three-run blast in the first put the Pioneers up 3-0. But that was short lived once Nya Chacon, who's been on an absolute tear to begin the year, drilled a two-run shot to tie the game in the bottom half. An inning later, Mirabel joined the party, crushing a leadoff homer off of Kelealani Waiau to put Garden City in front for good. Four batters later, Lacey Kearsley's line-out double play allowed Mckayla Encinias to score from third to make it 5-3. Then, in the third, after Tara Reid's double to center, Maestretti cranked a two-run jack for a 7-3 cushion.

Miles got a run back in the 4^th on Tessa Silva's RBI single, but that's the last time the Pioneers threatened, and in the 5^th, Garden City tacked on three more including McKenzie Moore's hot-shot triple to left and Chacon's free pass with the bases loaded. That was the prelude to the Broncbuster 6^th when Maestretti ended the game with a three-run walk-off blast.

Maestretti drove in five runs for Garden City, which earned a series split. Chacon walked three times, and Reid finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Kearsley picked up the win in the circle, allowing three earned runs on six hits in six innings.

Next up: Garden City vs. Seward-Thursday, March 11-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.