Big inning dooms Broncbusters in game-three loss

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-A seven-run third inning was the difference in this one.

Ian Riley hit an inside-the-park home, Jack Mount struck out nine, and Cloud County beat Garden City, 10-4 in game three at Williams Stadium. The Broncbusters lost for the seventh straight time, falling to 10-25-1 and 3-12 in the Jayhawk.

Garden City jumped out to an early lead when Ryan Muniz drew a seven-pitch, bases-loaded, two-out walk in the bottom of the first. But the home team failed to produce anything else as Draike Sparks struck out swinging to end the inning.

It remained 1-0 until the third; that's when the wheels fell off for starter George Hettrick. Danny Infante singled home one, Ty Wevers ripped an RBI double, Alexander Diaz blooped a run-scoring single to center, Tristan Tenorio plated another with a double to the gap, and Riley lined one off the wall in right, racing all the way home for a 7-1 advantage. 

Garden City responded with two runs in their half on a pair of sacrifice flies by Geoff Marlow and Sage McMinn. But Cloud County extended the lead on an RBI groundout by Diaz in the fourth; then made it 9-3 in the fifth thanks to Tom Poole's two-out, RBI base hit. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Dylan Garcia blasted a solo home run to left to slice the deficit to 9-4. But the Broncbusters were retired in order after that, failing to get a hit the rest of the way.

Hettrick was tagged for seven runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 for Garden City. Inbrahim Rodriguez and Dylan Garcia each collected two hits.

Mount picked up the win for Cloud County, allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. Riley went 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Infante was 3-for-3 with two runs driven in.