Broncbusters Drop First Half of Series to Cloud County
Garden City Community College Baseball team hosted Dodge City Community College in a double header on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at Williams Stadium in Garden City, Kan. The Busters dropped the two games to the Conquistadors, game one 0 - 1 and game two 5 - 9. Photo credits; Adam Shrimplin, Shrimplin Photography
CONCORDIA, Kan. – The Garden City Broncbusters didn’t have enough in the first two of their series, defeated 10-0 and 13-3 in their first two games of their four-game set at Lee Doyen Field.
Garden City (6-39, 2-24 KJCCC) couldn’t get to either one of Cloud County’s starters. Kevin Mannell and T.J. Coats shoved, throwing a combined 10 shutout innings with 14 strikeouts.
Cloud County (32-16, 16-8 KJCCC) has produced 29 division one products since 2020, and their sophomores shined on Wednesday.
Paul Schuyler, committed to play at Nebraska-Omaha, scored five times in the doubleheader. Demitri Shatkokho, who will play at Southeast Missouri State in 2025, drove in another four, boosting his total to 47 RBI this year.
The Thunderbirds combined for 23 runs on 29 hits in the two games.
The Broncbusters close their series with the Thunderbirds on Friday, beginning at 1:00 PM from Williams Stadium. Coverage for game one begins at 12:45 on 99.9 ‘The Rock’
GAME 1: 10-0, Cloud County (6)
Garden City had no way through Mannell in game one, falling behind early and never able to catch up.
Mannell, a redshirt sophomore committed to Mississippi State, retired the first 11 batters he faced, only giving up one hit through
The right-hander struck out five batters, boosting his season total to 77.
GCCC’s only hits came from Brett Barber in the fourth inning and Nick Barber in the sixth inning.
Doubles were the name of the game for the Thunderbirds in game one.
Cloud recorded four RBI two-baggers in the victory. Coats, Schuyler, Nolan Freund, and Noah Konings all recorded extra-base hits, ensuring a CCCC victory.
Cloud County scored 10 runs on 13 hits, run-ruling Garden City with the Konings double to right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.
GAME 2: 13-3, Cloud County (7)
Cloud hung a crooked number in the third inning and never looked back.
The Thunderbirds added to an unearned run against Matthew Lorencz with four runs in each of the third and fourth innings.
Austin Coyle led off the bottom third with a solo home run to left field, starting another Cloud County hit parade. CCCC started the third with four straight hits.
Garden City took away a two-run double from Shatkokho on a phenomenal relay. Kaelan Bing played a one-hopper off the wall brilliantly, and Dawson Stutz relayed the throw home to catch a second Cloud runner.
Cloud County put up a four-spot in the third and fourth innings, adding another two in the second.
The Broncbusters’ first runs of the series came in the final two innings. Stutz knocked in Nick Barber from third with an RBI groundout, giving him his sixth RBI in two games.
Joshua Miller and Steven Mesa each brought in runs against the Thunderbirds’ bullpen, via a single and hit by pitch.
Garden City closed game two with three runs on five hits, committing five errors.
