Garden City's late-inning rally falls short in game two
March 18, 2022

Garden City's late-inning rally falls short in game two

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-Hutchinson got rolling early in this one.

Braedyn Sommer and Ryan Henderson each went yard as the Blue Dragons beat Garden City 9-7 in game two Friday night at Broncbuster Stadium. The loss dropped Chris Finnegan's bunch to 6-15-1 overall and 0-2 in conference as the series shifts to Hutchinson on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons went right after Broncbuster starter Chris Ueta. A pair of extra base hits by Ben McLaughlin (RBI triple) and Hunter Gortreaux (RBI double) in the first, put the road team up 2-0. Sommer then homered on the first pitch he saw in the second to make it 3-0.

However, the third inning was Ueta's undoing. He surrendered a three-run bomb to Henderson and an RBI triple to Cade Baker, capping off a five-run frame that put Hutchinson ahead 8-0.

But credit Finnegan's team for making things interesting. Geoff Marlow singled home a run in the third; then added an RBI knock in the fifth to make it a five-run game. After Hutchinson stretched the lead to 9-3 on Gortreaux's single in the top of the sixth, Ryan Muniz and Sage McMinn smoked back-to-back doubles in the seventh for Garden City, Quinn Gundlefinger added an RBI groundout, and the Broncbusters trimmed the deficit to 9-6.

Garden City then had their chances in the ninth. They scored a run on a wild pitch and loaded the bases for Dylan Garcia. But the lefty struck out on three pitches including a nasty slider from Kaden Wickersham that ended the rally. 

The loss spoiled a spectacular day for Camden at the plate, who finished 4-for-4 with two doubles for Garden City.

Charlie Mosser notched the win for Hutchinson, allowing two runs on three hits in one inning of relief.

 

 

Box Score

Team Stats