Broncbusters crush four more homers; pound Colby in opener

By Mike Pilosof

Colby, KS-Even five days off didn't cool down the Broncbuster bats.

Nya Chacon smashed two home runs, McKayla Encinias and Arianna Griego also went deep, and the Broncbusters run-ruled Colby 14-2 in game one Thursday afternoon at Trojan Field. It was Garden City's sixth straight win.

Chacon, who led the nation in batting average at .631 entering this series, got the scoring started in the top of the second when she drilled the second pitch she saw from Maysa Averett and sent it out of the yard. Griego followed suit four batters later with a three-run bomb to left, and Garden City was up 4-0. They eventually made it 7-0 in the fourth when Encinias, the reigning NJCAA Player of the Week, smacked a one-out solo shot, and Chacon homered for the second time: a two-run dinger to center. After Colby scored two in the bottom half on Elle Edeker's triple, Garden City responded in the fifth with Encinias's two-out, two-run double that gave the Broncbusters a seven-run cushion.

In the sixth, the brown and gold put the finishing touches on an offensive masterpiece scoring four runs on bases-loaded walks. Elycia Johnson then knocked in one on an RBI groundout, and the Broncbusters had a 12-run lead.

Lost in the offensive onslaught was Tara Reid's steady performance in the circle. The freshman scattered only six hits and struck out two. She tossed just 75 pitches and improved to 9-2 on the season.

Averett took the loss for Colby, allowing four runs on three hits in 2.2 innings.