Broncbusters hammer Otero; snap skid

La Junta, CO-It was a welcome sight for first-year Head Coach, Caleb Cox.  

Caden Blair notched his third win of the season, PJ Alvarez hit his team-leading fifth homer of the year, and Garden City snapped a six-game losing streak with a 14-5 victory over Otero on Tuesday afternoon. The Broncbusters improved to 6-23 overall.   

Garden City collected 12 hits, the first time they've had 10 or more in a game since March 15.  

Blair allowed three runs on five hits in five innings for Garden City, which posted its first victory since a 4-3 win over the Conquistadors on March 18. It was their first non-conference win since Feb. 19 vs. Southeast. 

Trailing 3-1, the Broncbusters exploded in the sixth. The first five men reached courtesy of four walks and an error. Conner Thompson then hit a sacrifice fly, Nick Barber singled home two, Konner Hatfield ripped a two-run triple to right-center, and Dawson Stutz capped it off with a run-scoring base hit down the line. Incredibly, the Broncbusters plated nine runs while producing only three hits in the frame. They sent 13 men to the plate.  

In the seventh, Garden City padded their lead with Thompson's second sac fly of the day that made it 11-3. AJ Mueller singled home a run in the ninth, and Ryan Cherry tripled home a pair to make it 14-3. 

Barber finished 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored for Garden City. Hatfield knocked in two as did Cherry and Thompson. Alvarez crushed his fifth homer of the season with two outs in the second. 

The Broncbuster bullpen was also lights out, surrendering just two runs over four innings. John DeCoste pitched a scoreless sixth, Kaden Shirley allowed just one hit in the seventh, Caleb Metzen allowed a baserunner in the eighth, and Levi Tucker yielded two runs in the ninth.