Broncbusters knock off No. 16 Butler; reach Region VI semifinals

Dodge City, KS-On a chilly afternoon, with the wind playing a major factor, Garden City took a major step towards the program's first-ever NJCAA National Tournament bid. 

Yina Ballesta Vargas kept Butler off balance all game long-allowing only four hits, Chiara Olison produced the go-ahead singe in the sixth, and Garden City edged No. 16 Butler, 4-2 in the second round of the Region VI Championships at Legends Park on Friday afternoon. The win secured a spot in the semifinals on Saturday vs. third-seeded Barton at 4 p.m. with a berth in Sunday's championship game now within reach. 

The Broncbusters (28-20) won despite collecting only two hits-a pair of RBI singles by Olison and Mara Vonk as part of a three-run fourth inning. But this is where Vargas came up big. 

The sophomore hurler used a variety of rise balls and breaking balls to silence a Grizzlies' offense that entered play with the 10^th-ranked scoring offense in the nation. It was their fewest runs scored this season and their lowest offensive output since April 24, 2024 when they beat Colby, 2-0. 

And it was masterful to watch. 

After a throwing error allowed Claire Lopez to reach to lead off the first, Vargas quietly put the Butler' bats to rest by getting back-to-back groundouts by Kyrsten Moran and Kim Yepez before Elisabeth Nobart flied out to left to end the inning. Vargas then followed that up by striking out the side in the second. 

In the third, after the Grizzlies (39-7) collected their first hit of the game on Lopez's two-out single to left, Vargas got Moran to harmlessly fly out to Kenzie Garza, who fought off 20 mph gusts to make a running catch down the left-field foul line to halt the scoring threat. She then worked around a leadoff walk in the fourth by getting Kory Schoenfeld to line out to shortstop Daryelin Rivas Chavez for an inning-ending double play. 

The Broncbusters took an early lead in the second. After Mayson Kurene Iwikau walked and took second on a throwing error, Regan Sword moved her to third on a groundout to the left side of the infield. Mara Vonk followed with a weak ground ball to second base that allowed Iwikau to slide home safely with the games' first run. 

It stayed that way until the Butler fifth when the Grizzlies used a fortuitous two-out bounce to tie the game. Down to their final strike in the inning, Lopez lined a hard shot off the chest of Vargas, who appeared a bit shellshocked once the ball ricocheted towards the third-base line. By the time she gathered herself, fielded the ball and threw home, Chloe Cardona had already slid in safely to even the score.

 Give Vargas a ton of credit though because after Head Coach, Belinda Hendrix started to make the walk from the dugout to the circle to check on her, Vargas emphatically shrugged off any idea that she was coming out. Hendrix made it within 10 feet of her sophomore pitcher before turning back around. 

Vargas responded by getting Moran to chase a rise ball out of the zone. Once she made contact, the ball landed in Rivas Chavez's glove at short to retire the side. 

The Broncbusters responded in the sixth. 

Jade Hendrix led off the inning with a free pass and Maria Avendano Fori, the conference leader in home runs, was hit by a pitch. After Iwikau's unsuccessful bunt attempt deflected right into pitcher, Ellie Randall's glove, Olison delivered the biggest hit of the game: a line-drive single up the middle that put Garden City in front for good. Two batters later, Vonk slapped a two-run base hit to center, giving the Broncbusters a 4-1 cushion. 

That was plenty for Vargas. 

The sophomore did allow a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half, although it appeared that Elisabeth Nobert left the second-base bag early. 

In the end though, Vargas made sure that it didn't matter. 

In the Butler seventh, the right-hander quickly retired the first two hitters. With two outs, Lopez singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate. That's when Vargas took a little something off her offering to Moran, who lifted a breaking ball to left that Garza squeezed for the final out of the game. 

Vargas's final stat line: two runs on four hits over seven innings. She threw 121 pitches after tossing 69 in the tournament opener vs. Dodge City. She struck out four. 

Randall, the southpaw who had won four straight starts entering Friday's showdown and 14 of her 15 decisions with her lone blemish a 9-7 loss to Hutchinson, allowed four runs on two hits over seven innings. She walked three and struck out two. 

Butler will play Colby in an elimination game on Saturday at 2 p.m.