Broncbusters Rally Falls Short in Loss at McCook
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
|
|
0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | X | 9 | 9 | 1 |
Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics
McCook, NE – Garden City Community College saw a mid-game rally slip away late, falling to McCook Community College 9-4 on the road Tuesday at Jaycee Sports Complex.
The Broncbusters (16-24, 8-12) chipped away after an early deficit but were undone by a four-run eighth inning from McCook that put the game out of reach.
McCook struck first in the second inning, capitalizing on a two-out RBI double to take a 1-0 lead. The Indians added to their advantage in the third, using a string of hits and a key error to plate four runs and extend the lead to 5-0.
Garden City responded in the fifth inning to get back into the game. Damon Hernandez delivered an RBI double to bring home Akoi Burton, and Sean Togher followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-2.
The Broncbusters continued to chip away in the seventh when Justin Bush came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Hernandez, trimming the margin to 5-3.
Garden City added another run in the eighth as Cody Kilpatrick launched a solo home run, pulling the Broncbusters within one at 5-4 and setting up a tense finish.
McCook, however, delivered the decisive blow in the bottom half of the inning. A grand slam highlighted a four-run surge that quickly pushed the lead to 9-4 and halted Garden City's momentum.
Offensively, Kilpatrick led the late push with his home run, while Hernandez drove in multiple runs. Bush added a multi-hit effort as the Broncbusters totaled nine hits in the contest.
On the mound, Garden City cycled through multiple arms, battling early traffic before settling in during the middle innings, but the late inning proved costly.
Key moment
McCook's grand slam in the eighth inning broke open a one-run game and sealed the outcome.
Key stat
Garden City trimmed a five-run deficit to one before allowing four runs in the eighth inning.
Up next
The Broncbusters hit the road for a pair of doubleheaders against Ottawa University on Friday, April 10th at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 11th at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m.