Confident Lady Buffaloes Cruise by Liberal in Doubleheader

GARDEN CITY, Kan. – Garden City’s got its swagger back.

GCHS halted six-game losing streak in their conference opener with big innings, dominant pitching, and expert fielding. The Lady Buffaloes’ bats came to play in their return home.

The Garden City Lady Buffaloes rolled past the Liberal Lady Redskins on Thursday afternoon, sweeping their WAC doubleheader with 7-3 and 14-4 wins. The Buffaloes run-ruled the Redskins after five innings in game two, combining for 22 hits over 12 innings.

“We got some confidence today, at the plate,” head coach Trina Mai said. “We were able to string some hits together, it was really nice for the girls to get those two wins.”

Garden City (5-6, 2-0 WAC) had scored just six runs over its last four, exceeding that in game one’s win. 

The wins weren’t as easy as the final scores seemed. The Lady Buffs had to overcome deficits in both legs of the doubleheader, with Liberal (4-9, 0-5 WAC) leading halfway through game one.

The Buffaloes just had too much power to handle. GCHS laced seven extra-base hits in game two. Piper Harris and Yasmim Angeles each tripled in the win.

Harris had a career day for Garden City, combining for six hits and eight runs batted in over the two games.

“We need that from her, Mai praised about Harris. “Our team rides off the energy that she brings to the plate.”

The Lady Buffaloes continue their home stand on Monday against WAC opponents Hays, a makeup game from March 26th.

Trina Mai interview

Game 1: Garden City, 7-3

Kyleigh Whitehurst was groomed to be Garden City’s new ace in 2024, and showed exactly why in game one.

The senior breezed through the Liberal lineup, retiring the first 10 that she faced, recording four punch outs.

“She’s learning how to be her own right now,” Mai said. “She’s giving us those opportunities to be in games. I just like what she’s doing for us on the mound.”

Her perfect first three innings let the Buffaloes strike first.

Harris lobbed a single to score Angeles from second base, which sparked a run of four straight Lady Buffaloes reaching base. 

Elly Ortiz would bring Harris in on a sacrifice fly, giving GCHS a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Whitehurst pitched six shutout innings in game one, but got knocked around in her fourth inning. LHS plated three runs, including Elizabeth Mannel’s go-ahead two-run single.

The Buffaloes didn’t need long to get back in front. Harris smoked a double over the left fielder, MacKenna Alexander, putting GCHS right back in front, 4-3.

The Lady Buffs would add two more in that half inning, then another on a Harris double in the sixth.

Whitehurst settled down after getting the lead back and rolled the rest of the way.

The right-hander struck out five over the final three innings, giving up just one hit. Whitehurst closed with  10 strikeouts over the win.

“Since that kid was little, she’s been smiling,” Mai described Whitehurst. “Even if she’s nervous… she always has that smile on her face.”

Whitehurst earned her fourth win of the season, pitching all seven innings.

Game 2: Garden City, 14-4 (5)

Game one might’ve been more about the pitching, game two was all about the hitting.

The Lady Buffaloes dominated Liberal’s starter, Taylor Harding, to the tune of six runs over the first two frames.

GCHS hit three doubles off of Harding, including Yazmin Almanza’s game-tying two-bagger in the first inning.

Almanza had a big game two, driving in two runs and reaching all four plate appearances.

It was Harris’ day to remember in the doubleheader, and she made certain in the second and third innings. Harris knocked in the go-ahead run in the second, singling Isabella Wilder home with two outs.

Again with two outs, Harris worked herself into a hitter’s count. She made LHS’ reliever, Zoey Torres, pay with a two-run triple to right-center field. 

“It got out of there in a hurry, it was on a line,” Mai described the triple. “Any time you’re hitting the ball on line drives like that, it’s good.”

Harris drove in four RBI in each of the two games against the Lady Redskins, reaching all four times she came to the plate in game four.

Harris would also score all four times, a big reason why GCHS was able to run-rule in the second game.

Isabella Wilder’s two-run single iced it for the Lady Buffaloes, scoring 14 runs on 13 hits in just five innings.

Kyleigh Whitehurst went the complete game again, striking out five in her fifth win of the year.