Vonk's walk off caps instant classic win over Hutch

Garden City, KS-This will go down as one of the best Junior College softball games in recent memory. And no, that is definitely not hyperbole. 

Mara Vonk helped erase a four-run ninth-inning deficit with a walk-off two-run shot, and Garden City won a heartstopper over Hutchinson, 23-22 Thursday night at Tangeman Sports Complex. 

Maria Avendano Fori hit her 22^nd and 23^rd home runs of the season for Garden City, which snapped a 15-game losing streak to the Blue Dragons to improve to 23-19 overall and 15-13 in conference play. As a team, the Broncbusters clubbed eight long balls, handing Hutchinson just their second loss in their last 26 games. 

In what became an instant classic, Garden City should have won the game ever before it went into extra innings. Trailing by two runs and down to their final out, Vonk looped a shot to right fielder Gabby Stauffer, who misplayed the ball thanks in large part to the 50-mph wind. After the tying runs scored, assistant coach Jimmy Hendrix instructed Vonk to round third and head for home. As the throw landed in catcher Addison Lutz's hand, Vonk appeared to slide in underneath the tag. But home plate umpire, Joel Maldonado called her out, sending the game into extra innings.  

After a scoreless eighth, Hutchinson scored four times in the top of the ninth to take a 22-18 lead. 

The Broncbusters never flinched. 

Jade Hendrix led off the home half with a sharp single to left. Fori then followed with a towering two-run shot to left-center that made it a two-run game. Two batters later, Chiara Olison hit a line-drive solo home run to pull the home team within one. That was immediately followed by Keiry Abreu's double that eventually setup Vonk's two-run, walk-off blast to right, a no-doubt about it home run that gave Garden City its most exhilarating victory of the season. 

After getting blown out in the opener, Garden City responded with four runs in the top of the first powered by Daryelin Chavez's leadoff home run. 

But Hutchinson responded with nine runs over the next two innings to take a five-run cushion. 

The Broncbusters though responded with an eight-run third inning. Olison, Abreu and Fori all homered in the frame putting Garden City up, 12-9. It was the first of two rallies in which the Broncbusters trailed by four or more runs in the game. 

Maysen Kurene-Iwikau picked up the win in the circle, though she allowed 11 runs on nine hits over four innings. She also helped her own cause by going 5-for-6 with three RBI. Fori collected three hits and is now second in the nation in home runs behind only Paris Junior College's Gabriela Sosa.