Big Third and Fourth Innings Lift Garden City to 15-9 Win Over McCook
Photo by: Adam Shrimplin/Garden City Athletics
Garden City, KS – Garden City Community College used a pair of explosive middle innings to pull away from McCook Community College for a 15-9 win Tuesday afternoon.
Garden City scored 11 runs across the third and fourth innings, turning an early deficit into a commanding lead it would not relinquish.
Roy Higinbotham homered twice and drove in four runs to lead Garden City, including a three-run shot during a seven-run fourth inning that broke the game open. Kieren Cutler had a big day for McCook with three hits and five RBI, highlighted by a three-run homer in the fifth.
McCook jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning on a two-run single by Cutler. Garden City answered in the second on Higinbotham’s solo home run before erupting for four runs in the third, aided by aggressive baserunning and timely hits to take a 5-2 lead.
The decisive moment came in the fourth when Garden City sent 11 batters to the plate and scored seven runs. Higinbotham’s three-run homer capped the inning, while Justin Bush added a two-run single as part of the surge.
McCook responded with four runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth, cutting the deficit to 12-9 behind home runs from Cutler and Lucas Munns, but Garden City’s bullpen settled in late to preserve the lead.
Kaige Kennedy (2-2) earned the win despite allowing five runs over four innings, while Garden City’s bullpen combined to allow just two runs over the final five frames. Tyler Parent (0-1) took the loss for McCook after surrendering five runs in 2 1/3 innings.
Garden City finished with 13 hits, getting multi-hit performances from several spots in the lineup, while McCook totaled 15 hits in the loss.
Key moment – Higinbotham’s three-run homer in the fourth inning extended the lead to double digits and capped a seven-run outburst that put Garden City in control.
Key stat – Garden City scored 11 of its 15 runs in the third and fourth innings, overcoming an early 2-0 deficit.
Up next
Garden City opens a four-game set with Seward County on Thursday at Williams Stadium. First pitch set for 1 p.m. CDT.
