Lady Buffs Softball Takes Two From Upset Minded Red Demons
Garden City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) The Garden City High School Softball team is closing in on a conference title they lost out on last season. After sweeping Great Bend earlier in the season the Lady Buffs took care of another rival Dodge City on Tuesday from Tangeman Field 3-1 and 6-1.
Game Highlights
Abbie Dart (14-1) threw a no-hitter against the Lady Red Demons last year and even though she could not match that accomplishment in this her junior season, her performance was almost equally impressive.
Dart gave up one run over 11 innings pitched and gave up four hits while striking out 25 (17 in game one). Dart helped herself out with a two run double in the second inning of game one off Demon starting pitcher Raegan Lopp to give Garden City a 3-0 lead. After that the Lady Buffs packed it in offensively as Lopp gave up only two more hits the rest of the game, but her offense could not figure out Dart in the two run loss.
Dodge City scored their only run when senior Alex Steckline made second on a throwing error from the pitcher Dart and Reiyna Cecil singled Steckline in for the Lady Red Demon’s only run of the game.
It was not as if Dodge City did not have their opportunities late leaving two base runners on in both the fifth and seventh innings as Grace Ruehle popped out to short ending the fifth and Cecil struck out to end the game.
Game two saw Garden City jump out to another early lead. Rylee Crawford put the Lady Buffs (15-1, 6-0) in front to stay with a two run triple off Dodge City starting pitcher Matti Tieben. Tieben would allow a pair of RBI singles in the third to both Shai Cartmill and Kaci Finch stretching the Lady Buff lead to 4-0.
Tieben surrended two more runs the rest of the game. Four of the six runs for Garden were unearned in the second game. Tieben fared well for a pitcher that had not pitched very much in her senior year because of a thumb injury she sustained while practicing a few weeks ago.
Abbie Dart left for her lefthanded throwing sister Hailey in the fifth inning and despite allowing five hits including a RBI single in the seventh inning to Lauren Equibel she made it through the three innings of work to qualify for a save.
Post-game Comments GC Coach Trina Moquett
Post-Game Comments DC Coach Heather Steiner
Dodge City (6-8, 0-4) will have senior day Thursday when they host Dodge City. Garden is on the road Friday and Saturday in Emporia before coming back home Tuesday with the chance to wrap up the WAC title against Hays.
