Buffs baseball earns split at North

Wichita, KS (westernkansasnews.com)-Garden City’s living on the edge mentality early in the 2015 season has proven prophetic through eight games. 

“I really feel good about this team; this year,” Head Coach Bill Wilson said before the season started. 

Premonitions aside, the Buffaloes have used the cardiac mentality to stage a 4-4 record, including a split with Wichita North on Friday-winning game one 6-2 before losing a barn burner in the finale 11-10. 

Colton Snodgrass was strong in the opener-allowing one run on four hits while striking out six in 5.2 innings of work. Daven Acker closed the door in relief; tossing a one-hit shutout over the final 1.1. 

The offense got a spark in the fifth with back-to-back run-scoring hits by Acker and Eric Heiman. Acker slapped a double to right before Heiman stroked a two-run single to make it 3-0. 

Lorenzo Hinojos and Eden Arreola smoked RBI singles in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0. North scored a run in the sixth and one in the seventh before Acker struck out Austin Hillhouse to end the game. 

In the finale Garden City fell down 4-0 before rallying back on the heels of Marcus Zapata’s two-run bomb in the third. 

Wichita North cushioned their lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring five runs before the Buffaloes countered with four in the top of the fourth. 

Arreola’s RBI single in the fifth tied the game; then Acker gave Garden City a 9-7 lead pulverizing a 2-1 fastball into the alley that scored two runs. Acker eventually stole home giving the Buffaloes a three-run edge. 

Unfortunately the lead didn’t stick, and North tied the game in the bottom of the seventh before an error allowed the winning run to score.