Broncbusters split with Trojans in Saturday Doubleheader

Garden City, KS (westernkansasnews.com) Both Colby Community College and Garden City were in a three way tie for fourth to begin play on Saturday. After the doubleheader ended, not much had changed. Garden City won the first game 1-0 in seven and lost the second 6-3. The Broncbusters left six on including four runners at third against Trojan starter Brandon Koehler. In the end one of Koehler’s two walks came back to haunt him.

Koehler walked Nolan Barrientos to begin the seventh, he was then bunted to second by Alvarez. Triffon Tatarin then came on to pinch run. Kaleb Zimmer lined a ball up the box and off Koehler’s leg. Kohler remained in the game and with runners on the corners Tyler Alitz hit a fly ball in foul ground to shallow right that was caught by the first baseman Fily Perez, but his return throw home wasn’t in time. For Garden City they improved their home record to 10-2 and 5-0 in conference. J.J. Benes picked up the win and went the distance for his third complete game of the year. Benes allowed only four hits and struck out eight.

Game two was pretty quiet too until the eighth inning. Colby struck first with a pair of two out runs off starter Jake Eikelberry. Perez doubled in Grant Buchanan and Nolan Carter singled in Perez. Eikleberry would only allow four hits the rest of the game in going seven innings. Tyler Alitz tied the game at two with a double that brought in both Tyler Tucker and Kaleb Zimmer. Colby starting pitcher Luc Hebert pretty much coasted from there going seven innings and allowed just three hits and two runs.

T.J. Clapper in relief struggled with the lower end of Colby’s lineup. Eighth spot batter Jeremy Stidham broke the 2-2 tie with a RBI double down the line in left. David Nelson provided a RBI single one batter later to give Colby a 4-2 lead. Garden City scored an unearned run in the eighth to pull to within 4-3, but Colby added some needed insurance in the ninth on a Sac-Fly by Perez and Brady Rogers RBI single.

Sunday’s start time has been pushed back until 3pm to get the field in shape after a dusting of snow overnight. The Taco Bell dugout show begins at 2:45pm on westernkansasnews.com.

Game One Highlights