Clarendon completes season sweep of Garden City

By Mike Pilosof

Garden City, KS-Miscues have plagued Garden City all season long. Saturday was no exception.

The Broncbusters had 14 errors combined, including nine in game two on Saturday as Clarendon swept Garden City 12-7 and 11-4 at Tangeman Sports Complex.

Those mistakes haunted the brown and gold immediately in the opener when Monica Lara singled and scored in the top of the first on an error by shortstop Erica Vessels.

Garden City (11-15, 0-4) tied the game in the second on Rebekah Roberts run-scoring single; then took the lead in the third when Michaela Martinez knocked in Taylore Hartman.

But three more errors in the top of the fourth cost Becky Gundy's team as Clarendon (17-10) plated six. Sierra Atchley scored on a miscue by pitcher Samantha Akers. Haley Rodriguez followed with a two-run double, Natalie De La Rosa came around on Vessels second error before Jenna Perez doubled home one to make it 7-2.

After Shaycin Koehn answered with an RBI single in the fourth to cut the deficit to four, the Bulldogs countered with Perez's RBI single, Rodriguez's run-scoring double before plating two on two more errors by Garden City.

The Broncbusters slowly chipped away in the fifth. Vessels singled and scored on Hannah Adams RBI hit, which was followed up by Roberts RBI groundout that pulled Garden City to within six 11-5. They added two more in the sixth when Vessels singled home Koehn and Martinez stroked a run-scoring double. But Nicole Milford flew out to center to end the rally.

Clarendon punched one across in the seventh when Emily Benitez drove home Rodriguez. Then Bulldogs pitcher Heather Villareal finished the job in the bottom half, working around a one-out walk to get Bailee Muxlow-Volk to strike out and Leish Nakagawa to fly out to end the game.

Akers allowed 12 runs, but only four were earned for Garden City. She struck out four in seven innings.

Her counterpart Villareal yielded seven runs on 13 hits in seven innings. She struck out four and walked two while throwing 144 pitches.

As they did in game one, Clarendon struck first in the finale, thanks to Perez's two-run double.

Garden City tied it in the second when Milford scored on Savanna Gyurman's RBI groundout and Nakagawa plated Adams to make it 2-2.

Rodriguez pushed the Bulldogs back on top in the third when Milford booted a ball at third, which allowed Perez to score. Makenna Greenlee came around on Adams error at second in the fifth to make it 4-2 before Clarendon scored four in the sixth. Glorianna Eddy's sacrifice fly and reliever Marissa Montiel's four-pitch walk to Lara with the bases loaded make it 11-2.

Vessels added a two-out, two-run single in the seventh before Martinez flew out to center to end the game.

Shepherd took the loss for Garden City, dropping her record to 2-3 on the season. She allowed eight runs with only one earned on 11 hits. Esmeralda Holguin notched the win for Clarendon, giving up four runs on four hits in seven innings. She struck out four and walked four.