Busters complete four-game sweep

Concordia, Kan (westernkansasnews.com)-When Chris Finnegan looked up at the scoreboard on Sunday afternoon, his eyes were wide open. His team, marred by an offensive slump the past two weekends, finally came to life in a big-time way. 

The Busters pounded out five round trippers including three in game three alone on their way to 12-2 and 5-3 victories over Cloud County. 

“We really played well both days,” Finnegan said afterwards. “We hit the ball well; we ran the bases well; I’m very proud of this team.”

In the finale-his team jumped right out of the gates when Rocky Desantis blasted a two-run shot to give the Busters a 2-0 lead. 

After Cloud County scored a run in the bottom half of the first, Caleb Dineen’s RBI single in the second gave Garden City a 3-1 advantage. Then in the 3rd-Kaleb Zimmer’s lead-off home run made it 4-1. The Busters tacked on two more runs in the inning. 

“We saw the ball very well today,” Finnegan said. “It just all came together.”

Zimmer’s run-scoring single and an error by Cloud’s Cal Zagurski in the 5th put Garden City (18-16, 11-9) up 8-1. They added a run in the 6th and three in the 7th. 

Brooks Trujillo was solid-allowing two runs on six hits while fanning six in five innings of work. Bradley Spires pitched well in relief-holding the T-Birds hitless the final two frames. 

In the opener Sunday, Garden City climbed out of an early 1-0 hole. Tyler Allitz’s homer in the top of the 2nd tied the game 1-1. 

Garden City grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 4th on Nolan Barrientos’s two-run blast. The sophomore stroked two long balls on Sunday and knocked in four of the 17 runs. 

After Cloud County (6-22, 3-13) tied the game in the 5th, the Busters took the lead for good in the 6th on the back of Dineen and Tyler Tucker RBI hits. 

Chris Bonk was solid on the bump-scattering eight hits and allowing three runs in six innings. Austin Aspegren pitched a scoreless 7th. 

Next up: Garden City vs. Clarendon, TX-Wednesday, April 2-2:45 p.m. dugout show; 3 p.m. first pitch on westernkansasnews.com/gccc-sports-streaming