Western Nebraska takes two from Garden City

By Mike Pilosof

Garden City, KS-Western Nebraska completed a two-game sweep of the Broncbusters, beating them 8-0 and 12-4 Thursday afternoon at Tangeman Sports Complex.

In game one, the Cougars struck first when Mickie Mills took Ariel Denney yard for a solo shot in the first to make it 1-0. In the third, Denney walked Emma Flynn with one out before giving up an RBI double to Mills. Two innings later, Western Nebraska tagged Denney for another long ball, this one off the bat of Sidnee Hogan to lead off the frame, pushing the Cougars ahead 3-0. That was followed by a single, error, walk and a run-scoring base hit by Hannah Baesler.

Western Nebraska added an RBI single by Madi Simons and a sacrifice fly by Sam Davis, stretching the lead to 7-0 before finishing off the scoring with Baesler's RBI single in the sixth.

Denney allowed five earned runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings for Garden City. She fanned eight, walked four and gave up two home runs.

Meantime Emma McMillan was dominant in the circle for the Cougars, scattering four hits while throwing only 84 pitches in six innings. Mills finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI.

In the second game, the Broncbusters fought back from a 2-0 hole to tie it in the second. Megan Jankiewicz smoked an RBI triple, and Madison Brasher ripped a run-scoring single to center.

But disaster struck in the third when the Cougars sent 11 players to the plate and scored seven runs, two of which came off back-to-back errors by Devin Hernandez at short and Vivian Lopez at second.

Garden City got two back in the bottom of the third on Kaylee Rogers double to center, but the Cougars put the finishing touches in the sixth when back-to-back doubles by Simons and Abriana Ramirez made it 11-4. Eventually Ramirez scored on a passed ball, giving the Cougars an eight-run cushion.

Audrey Graf took the loss for Garden City, allowing three earned runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. The defense produced three errors.

Mills was the winning pitcher, striking out four and giving up seven hits in six innings for Western Nebraska.