Broncbusters edge Colby on walk-off in extras

Garden City, KS-Progress is the name of the game. 

Dawson Stutz collected three hits including a homer and a walk-off single in the eighth, and Garden City edged Colby, 8-7 in their series opener with Colby Thursday afternoon at Williams Stadium. The Broncbusters improved to 3-12 overall and 1-0 in conference play. 

Caden Blair picked up the win in relief, allowing just one run in 3.2 innings, striking out three and walking two. Starter, Gunnar Nartker was tagged for six runs on seven hits in four innings. He fanned six and walked three.  

Stutz was the offensive catalyst for first-year Head Coach, Caleb Cox, smashing his first homer of the season to break a 2-2 tie in the first. He reached base four times and scored the tying run after swiping a bag in the seventh before PJ Alvarez drove him home with a hard single to center. But he saved his best for last in extra innings. With two outs and a runner at third in the eighth, Stutz rolled Griffin Bruder's 0-1 fastball to the left side of the infield, which allowed Connor Camden to charge in from third for the game winner.  

After spotting Colby two runs in the top of the first, the Broncbusters plated three in their half. An error and Stutz's two-run shot gave the Broncbusters a 3-2 edge.  

The Trojans tied the game in the third; then grabbed the lead following Carter Roth's two-run single. But Cox's squad responded in the bottom of the inning. Kaelen Bing doubled, Conner Thompson walked, and Camden singled home a pair to make it 5-5.  

Each team scored a run in the fifth before Roth's sac fly in the top of the seventh gave Colby a 7-6 lead. That setup a dramatic bottom half where Stutz was hit by a pitch with one out. After the freshman stole second, Alvarez drove him home. 

The top six batters in Garden City's order collected a hit with Camden finishing 3-for-3 with two RBI.