Broncbusters fall despite Neilsen's 12th homer of the season

Garden City, KS-The Broncbusters failed to hold two separate leads in Sunday's finale vs. Otero.  

Aaliyah Desjesus and Yaritza Puente each homered, Courtney Miller went the distance in the circle, and Otero edged Garden City, 11-8 at Tangeman Sports Complex. The Broncbusters dropped to 6-11 overall.  

It was a rough outing for starter Alexis Garcia, who yielded six earned runs on seven hits in just two innings. CJ Sherman and Tori Olson combined to allow four runs on seven hits in five innings of relief. 

Garden City's offense, which has been a major strength for third-year coach, Amy Schmeckpeper this season, was on full display again in the first. Trailing 2-0, Neilsen, the reigning conference player of the week, crushed her team-best 12^th homer of the season to leadoff the frame. The Broncbusters added three more runs on Rattler miscues to take a 4-2 advantage. 

But Otero quickly tied things up in the second; then took the lead on Ana Medeiros' two-out, run-scoring single that made it 5-4. 

In the bottom half, the Broncbusters took the lead again when Savannna Griebling scored on an error which was followed by Gracie Bishop's RBI double to the gap. 

But the pitching struggles continued in the third when Dejesus blasted a two-run shot off Garcia. Puente singled home another run in the fourth, and Olson issued a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to give Otero a 9-6 cushion. 

Garden City rallied back in the bottom of the sixth when Bishop roped her second double of the game to cut the Rattler lead to one. The Broncbusters though failed to produce anything else after that before Puente's solo shot in the seventh gave Otero a three-run lead.