Mid-Game Push Not Enough as Busters Drop Opener at Colby

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics

Colby, KS – Garden City Community College could not recover from a fast start by Colby Community College, falling 17-7 in Game 1 of a conference doubleheader Saturday.

The Broncbusters opened the scoring on a solo home run by Karson Evans in the top of the first, but Colby answered immediately with four runs in the bottom half and never gave the lead back. The Trojans added two more in the second and another in the third to build a 7-1 advantage through three innings.

Garden City made its push in the fourth. Will Togher blasted a two-run home run, and Roy Higinbotham followed with a solo shot later in the inning to cut the deficit to 7-4.

The Broncbusters pulled even closer in the fifth. Sean Togher singled to start the rally before Evans and Sean Philpotts helped load the bases. Will Togher brought home a run with a sacrifice fly, Higinbotham added an RBI single, and Sawyer Marshall followed with a run-scoring hit to trim the margin to 10-7.

Colby responded again in the bottom of the fifth with three runs, then broke the game open in the sixth. A grand slam by Jake Brooks highlighted a six-run inning, and the Trojans tacked on a two-run homer later in the frame to seal the 17-7 result.

Garden City finished with seven runs on 10 hits, with Evans, Higinbotham and Marshall recording two hits apiece. Colby totaled 17 runs on 16 hits, including five home runs.

Key Moment
Colby's four-run first inning erased Garden City's early lead and set the tone for the opener.

Key Stat
The Broncbusters scored six of their seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings but could not get any closer than three runs the rest of the way.