Broncbusters’ Bats Fall Cold in Doubleheader at Butler
Garden City Community College Baseball team hosted Butler Community College in a double header on Thursday, March 21, 2024 at Williams Stadium in Garden City, Kan. The Busters dropped the final two games of the series to the Grizzlies, game three 8 - 12 and game four 6 - 20. Photo credits; Adam Shrimplin, Shrimplin Photography
EL DORADO, Kan. – The Broncbusters’ bats didn’t make the trip from Williams Stadium.
Garden City played a very compelling offensive pair against Butler on Thursday, delivering big home runs and countless extra base hits. The young Busters squad wasn’t able to keep consistency in the ladder half of the series.
The Garden City Broncbusters lost out on their final two games against the Butler Grizzlies at McDonald Stadium. GCCC was held to just six hits in the final 15 innings of the series.
It was a huge juxtapose to Thursday’s doubleheader, where the Broncbusters recorded 14 hits in their 14 innings. Butler’s pitching commanded the series on Saturday, putting Garden City (2-23, 0-8 KJCCC) behind early in counts and inducing softer contact than what Thursday produced.
The Grizzlies (17-11, 9-3 KJCCC) found ways to manufacture runs throughout the series. Butler worked 21 walks at Williams Stadium, and found ways to continue getting on at McDonald.
GAME 3: 11-1, Butler (6)
The game started on a good note for Garden City, taking an early lead. Dawson Stutz deposited a solo home run to left center field, going yard for the fifth time this season.
The lead was the only time Garden City was in front the entire series.
Butler responded in the bottom half of the inning, tagging Broncbusters’ starter Tanner Dooley for six runs. Tyler Butash gave the Grizzlies the lead with an RBI single, Anibal Rivera knocked in three more to make it 6-1.
Grizzlies’ starter Bradyn McClure settled in from there, retiring 14 straight Broncbusters through the sixth inning. The redshirt freshman recorded a career-high 6.0 innings in his first career game, notching an eight strikeout performance.
Garden City’s only hit, bar the Stutz home run, was a two-out single by center fielder, Grant Ryan. Ryan finished the series with five hits and five RBI.
Dooley, who tossed 3.1 innings, received the loss for Garden City. Butler ended the game with an RBI single by outfielder Micah Kobuszewski in the sixth inning.
GAME 4: 4-0, Butler
The finale saw the first pitcher’s duel of the entire set, with both starters flashing their best stuff. Neither team could break the deadlock until the middle innings, managing just two hits in the first four.
Garden City’s Jace Reid pitched one of his finest outings as Broncbuster. The Freshman had great command over his fastball, consistently hitting the bottom portions of the zone for strikes.
Reid fanned five across 4.2 innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth. Butler worked two free passes, sandwiching a bunt single in between. Facing a three-ball count, Reid took too much time to deliver his next pitch, resulting in a go-ahead pitch clock violation. The Grizzlies immediately followed up with a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0.
That lead was all that starter Austin Bagnall would need. The Butler right-hander shoved seven innings, allowing just three hits. Garden City’s only true threat came in the top of the sixth, where Brett Barber and Kaelan Bing delivered back-to-back singles.
Bagnall bounced back, in some style, striking out the next three hitters to strand a pair. Bagnall recorded a career-high eight strikeouts in the victory.
The Grizzlies tacked on two more insurance runs off an RBI groundout by Kobuszewski in the sixth, then a Charlie Marcantel single in the eighth.
