Garden City Plates 14 in First, Rolls Past Fort Hays Tech Northwest

Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics

Garden City, KS – Garden City Community College delivered a dominant offensive performance from the opening pitch, erupting for 14 runs in the first inning and cruising to a 24-0 win over Fort Hays Tech Northwest in Game 1 of a doubleheader Wednesday.

The Broncbusters wasted no time seizing control, sending 20 batters to the plate in a historic first inning that featured multiple home runs, aggressive baserunning, and relentless pressure.

Garden City struck immediately as Maysen Kurene-Iwikau jumpstarted the scoring with a two-run double before Maiarangi Waipara followed with a two-run home run. The offensive surge continued as Skylah Breeze Joyce blasted a three-run homer and Reagan Sword added a solo shot to extend the lead. Kurene-Iwikau capped the inning with a grand slam, putting the Broncbusters firmly in command at 14-0 after one.

The Broncbusters kept the momentum rolling in the second inning, adding seven more runs behind timely hitting and disciplined at-bats. Zoey Torres delivered a two-run double, while Averie Ashford and Jade Hendrix each contributed RBI efforts as Garden City extended the lead to 21-0.

Waipara continued her standout performance in the third inning, launching her second home run of the game, while additional runs pushed the advantage to 24-0.

In the circle, Garden City pitching was equally dominant, holding Fort Hays Tech Northwest to just three hits while striking out multiple batters and allowing no runs across five innings.

Waipara led the offensive explosion with two home runs and multiple RBI, while Kurene-Iwikau delivered a grand slam and finished with a team-high RBI total. Joyce also added a home run and extra-base hit, and the Broncbusters combined for 17 hits in the run-rule victory.

Key moment
Garden City's 14-run first inning set the tone immediately, putting the game out of reach before Fort Hays Tech Northwest could respond.

Key stat
The Broncbusters scored 24 runs on 17 hits, including four home runs in the opening inning alone, while limiting Fort Hays Tech Northwest to just three hits.