Buffaloes Come to Life in Game Two, Split Doubleheader
GARDEN CITY, Kan. – A challenging game one led to an incredible game two.
The Buffaloes endured an agonizing loss to open their Friday doubleheader, almost completing a miraculous comeback. Garden City brought everything they had to game two, highlighting one of their most complete wins of the season.
The Garden City Buffaloes split their doubleheader against the Wichita Southeast Golden Buffaloes at Clint Lightner Field. GCHS fell 5-4 in game one but run-ruled Southeast with a 13-3 win after five innings in game two.
Garden City has now out-scored their non-conference opponents, 77-24, this season.
“We’re trying to play good, consistent baseball at our level,” first-year head coach, Anthony Ortiz said. “Once we do that, we’re going to be a scary team in regionals.”
Wichita Southeast (3-9) came into Friday with confidence, fresh off a 10-0 win over Wichita South earlier in the week. Golden Buffaloes’ game one starter, Mack O’Bar, pitched a quality 5 ⅓ innings in game one, holding the Buffaloes scoreless for four of the six innings he pitched.
Garden City (6-7) started the day sluggish but scored 16 runs over the final seven innings on Friday.
“I got into them a little bit [at the start of game two],” Ortiz said. “Either we were going to make something out of this, or we were going home early”.
The Buffaloes begin a four-game road trip next week against the Great Bend Panthers and Scott City Beavers. Garden City faces Great Bend on Tuesday, and Scott City on Friday.
Anthony Ortiz interview
GAME 1: Wichita Southeast, 5-4
Garden City dug themselves in trouble early, almost pulling themselves back. The Buffaloes left four runners in scoring position, including the potential game-tying run and game-winning run in the final inning.
It was a sloppy start for GCHS to open, giving up five unanswered runs in the first three innings. Wichita Southeast scored the first two on wild pitches.
“Southeast came down and brought a lot of energy,” Ortiz said. “They got off the bus off a four-hour trip, which is impressive to get off a bus and step onto the field and have that kind of energy.”
Golden Buffaloes’ outfielder Leevi Hennes was huge in game one, leading all players with a three-hit performance. His RBI single in the second boosted Southeast’s lead to three.
Brayson Plankenhorn came in relief with the Buffaloes down five, doing everything he could to hold his team in it. The senior struck out a career-high seven batters in 3 ⅔ innings, fanning two in three straight innings.
“Him coming in and being able to throw the pitches that he can is a bonus to us,” Ortiz praised. “He is absolutely a leader of our defense.”
The only hit he surrendered was a bunt single by Hennes in the fourth.
Plankenhorn fired first-pitch strikes to five of the six hitters he faced when going through the lineup. Six of his seven strikeouts were swinging.
“If they’re really behind, I continue to throw my fastball,” Brayson Plankenhorn said, “I throw my curveball, slider, changeup when I need to, but I didn’t have much need to that tonight.”
His heroics on the bump gave the Buffaloes life, bringing four unanswered runs in the middle innings. Evan Finch stole two bases and came home on a wild pitch to get GCHS on the board in the fourth.
Garden City ignited their bats in the sixth inning. Ethan Gomez sparked the Buffaloes with a single, eventually coming in to score on a two-run double by Farr.
The RBIs were Farr’s 12th and 13th of the season to lead GCHS.
Farr came in to score on a wild pitch, which brought Finch 90 feet from home plate. GCHS would strand him there.
The Buffaloes would put the game-tying and go-ahead runs on, but couldn’t finish the job. Chase McGraw, who struck out two to hold the one-run lead in the top of the seventh, struck out to close the game.
Brayson Plankenhorn interview
GAME 2: Garden City, 13-3 (5)
Coach Ortiz ignited a fire in his team after a slow start. Two early runs from Southeast provoked Garden City’s bats in the bottom of the first.
GCHS raked off three different pitchers in the bottom of the first, putting up 10 runs on eight hits.
Four straight Buffaloes reached, leading to RBI doubles by Gomez and Farr to give Garden City a 3-2 lead in a flash. Farr raked the first pitch that he got, scoring two on a double to left field.
“I’ve always been a pull guy, but coming into my junior season, I always want to go opposite field,” Farr said. “That’s where I feel I have the most power.”
The onslaught didn’t stop there, Evan Finch and Kyler Metzen each recorded RBI. Ethan Leisure made a statement in his return to the lineup, drilling in two with a single to right field.
Garden City scored nine runs their first time through the lineup, with ever Buffalo reaching.
Farr’s big first inning didn’t stop there, following up a Culden Plankenhorn two-run double with an RBI knock of his own for a three-RBI first inning.
Farr finished 3-for-6 in the doubleheader with five RBI.
“He has the best approach to hitting that I’ve seen,” Ortiz said on Farr. “He’ll step back, he’ll analyze, he’ll think, and he’ll step back in. He wants to knock the cover off the ball every time he swings the bat.”
Garden City added three more in the following inning after loading the bases with no outs.
McGraw handed business from there on the mound, hurling three shutout innings. Garden City held Southeast to just two hits in game two.
The 13 runs by the Buffaloes were their most brought in since March 22nd’s 17-2 win over Wichita North.
Javen Farr interview
