Up and down: GC Elite split at Ulysses

Ulysses, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-Garden City Coach Lyle Befort was hoping his team had a short memory following a run-rule loss to Butler County on Sunday. So how would they respond 48 hours later?

Not exactly how the veteran skipper wanted. The Elite ended up splitting a twin bill with Ulysses-losing game one 7-5 before bouncing back with a 3-1 victory in the finale. 

“We just didn’t hit very well,” Befort said. “These pitchers haven’t pitched very much. We have a lot of work to do.”

In game one, Logan Dechant made his summer pitching debut, and it came with mixed results. He allowed seven runs on eight hits while walking three in four innings of work. 

After taking a 1-0 lead over Ulysses, Dechant got in some trouble in the bottom of the third. He allowed the first two runners to reach before yielding an RBI single; then watched a runner steal home to make it 2-1. 

Mario Montoya’s run-scoring single in the fourth tied the game 2-2 before Ulysses opened up the floodgates with a five-run bottom half. 

“I saw some things,” Befort said. “But we have to be more consistent.”

He got more of that in the finale. Daniel Flores tossed the exact game Befort and the rest of his club needed while the offense did just enough. 

“I just tried to get ground balls for my team,” Flores said. “I was hitting my spots.”

Jacob Rivas got the Elite on the board first when he pushed a ground ball into right field scoring Jesse Ruiz. Two batters later, Marcus Zapata’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0 Garden City. 

After Ulysses sliced the lead in half in the fourth-the Elite added an insurance run in the sixth when Dechant scored on a throwing error. 

Flores allowed just one run on six hits in five innings before (Mario) Montoya pitched two innings of scoreless relief.

Next up: GC Elite vs. Ottawa-Salina Tournament-Friday, July 5-11:15 a.m. 

Box Scores: gcelite_ulysses game 1 | gcelite_ulysses game 2

Scores

NBC

Liberal 8, Albuquerque 0

Hays 8, Dodge City 3