Broncbuster Baseball Season Ends in Coffeyville

Coffeyville, KS (westernkansasnews.com) For all that went right for the Garden City Community College Baseball team at the end of last year winning eighteen of their last 22 games, it was the reverse this season.  Garden City lost twelve of their last seventeen and are swept in the two games at Coffeyille to open region VI tournament play 13-3 and 12-7.  With the two wins Coffeyville will make the return trip to Wichita, while for the Broncbusters their season ends one win shy of thirty for the season.

For all it is worth Coffeyville limped into regionals too having lost their last four games and in one stretch last month twelve of thirteen.  One advantage Saturday the Red Ravens were playing at home and for some of the returning players they sought a measure of revenge after losing 1-0 to Garden City in game one of last year’s region VI tournament from Wichita.

Game One Highlights

Garden City started game one with Lakin sophomore Dalton Shalberg (Loss 2-6). He was opposed by Coffeyville righthander Sean Laughlin (Win 6-3).  Shalberg dodged his way through the first three innings, allowing just one run while walking four batters.  Garden took a short-lived 2-1 lead in the third on Ted Ramirez RBI triple and Kyle Lopez Sac-Fly.  The Red Ravens (28-30) made Shalberg pay in the fourth.

After two of the first three batters reached base, Alejandro Hernandez Sac-fly tied the game at 2-2 , designated hitter Tyler Cunningham’s added a RBI single give the Red Ravens a 3-2 lead.  TJ Sparr then walked and Cole Sanderson cleared the bases with a three run double making it 6-2.  Coffeyville added two more runs with three consecutive infield singles off reliever Brendan Peitsmeyer.  For the game Coffeyville had fifteen hits, five of them were infield singles.  The Red Ravens utilized their speed to hit high choppers on the grass surface and leg them out for hits.

Garden City scored their final run in the fifth when Kyle Lopez’s RBI double brought in Ramirez.  Sean Laughlin went the distance for Coffeyville surrendeing three runs (all earned) on ten hits, while striking out six and walking two.  Shalberg allowed seven runs on eight hits, walking five and striking out four.  Coffeyville ended the game by run ruling Garden 13-3, with a two run seventh on RBI singles from Lane Ketterman and Roldofo Oleta.

Game Two Highlights

Game two J.J. Benes took the ball for GCCC looking to stop a slide that saw him lose his last three starts with an ERA of 13.50 during that stretch.    Benes faced Ryan McCourt a righthander with a 3-7 record. 

Benes looked good in the first striking out two and setting down the side in order.  In the second, a two run triple from TJ Sparr and two run homer by catcher Cole Sanderson in back to back at-bats gave Coffeyville all the momentum 4-0. 

Garden City clawed back with a run in the third when Cooper Bowermaster doubled in Tyler Mohr.  After coughing up two more runs to Coffeyville in the bottom of the third, the Broncbusters scored another run in the fourth on Kyle Lopez RBI single.

If the second inning gave Coffeyville the edge, the fifth may have been the difference.  Garden City’s Brendan Peitsmeyer allowed four unearned runs in relief.  The first batter reached when first baseman Angelo Perez failed to field a ground ball that went by his right hip.  Colton Krokroskia added a RBI single, Matt Salamon scored on a wild pitch and Lane Ketterman hit a soaring two run homer to right field, his second of the year and the Red Ravens had a 11-2 lead. 

Garden City was able to fight their way back into the game by scoring the next five runs all with two outs, three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.  Following the Red Ravens second turned double play of the game, Kadin Hydrick had a pinch hit RBI double knocking the starter McCourt from the game. After Angelo Perez was hit by a pitch from reliever Bret Harris, Tyler Mohr had a two run single to right center making it a 11-5 game Coffeyville.

Garden City added two more runs in the seventh on back to back two out RBI doubles off Kealin Smith. Kyle Lopez brought in Mason Brown and Patrick Mixon knocked in Lopez.  That would be as close as Garden City would get.  Coffeyville added an insurance run in the eighth on Tyler Cunningham’s RBI triple off reliever Noah Draper.  The Broncbusters had two hits each in the eighth and ninth off the Jayhawk Conference best closer Nick Jones, but unfortunately were never able to get the big hit late and the Broncbusters comeback fell short 12-7.

Benes in his final game for Garden City before moving on to the University of Central Missouri next season went 3 1/3 innings, and gave up seven runs (six earned) and six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.  The bullpen kept Garden City in the game.  Peitsmeyer gave up four unearned runs.  Pagendarm, Marcus McKinney, Phillip Muldrow, Noah Draper and Garrett Bryant went the final 3 1/3 and only allowed one run on two hits.

GCCC Coach Chris Finnegan Post-game

While Coffeyville takes the next step in moving on to play in Wichita, the Broncbusters finish the season 29-27.  At one point GCCC was 21-9, but after that impressive start went 8-18 and lost twelve of their final seventeen.  For only the third time in his ten years as head coach, Chris Finnegan’s Broncbusters failed to reach 30 wins.  The good news is that the following year Garden City had 45 wins in 2009 and a 38 win season in 2014.