GCHS Softball steamrolls Junction City, Liberal; advances to 6A state tournament.

Garden City, Kan. (Western Kansas News) – The eyes of history were watching Garden City High School Softball on Wednesday, as the Buffs hammered their way through the competition of the top bracket in the 6A West regional. The Lady Buffs knew heading into their matchup with Junction City that Liberal would be the foe waiting for them in the regional championship, but they had to overcome the first regional game to get there.

Postseason play is a strange thing. Teams that had collectively won four games through the season have the propensity, while rare, to upset highly thought of teams and make a splash. Everyone remembers an underdog, but few rarely remember the heavy favorite executing as a heavy favorite should. That is, except in Garden City, where the heavy favorite has struggled in the regional championship and the state quarterfinal on multiple occasions.

In a masterful coaching move by Trina Moquett, the atmosphere at John Ford Field felt like that of the underdog, and not of the #1 seed in the west. A quiet confidence that results in high level execution, but make no mistake, the Lady Buffs were prepared for a dogfight from a Junction City team that had only won two games on the regular season. And, through the first two innings, there was a bit of a nervous energy in the crowd as Garden City slowly and methodically began to pick up runs: two in the first inning off a Piper Harris homer, and three in the second inning. But it wasn’t an avalanche like the home faithful had hoped for, and Junction City, despite only scoring two runs in the fourth inning when the game was decided, hung around just long enough to keep the tension in the air. Ultimately, through precision hitting and well-executed play, Garden City would take down the Lady Blue Jays in only five innings, with a final score of 12-2. The Lady Buffs would record 12 runs on 9 hits with only 1 error, while Junction City posted 2 runs on 1 hit with 2 errors. After all, this Junction City squad had been a team that earlier in the season had taken Hays the distance in their two games played, ultimately losing 6-2 and 5-0, but not without giving the Lady Indians a scare. More importantly? Hays had beaten Garden City once on the season, and it took a strong effort from the Lady Buffs in the regular season finale to take the series 2-1 from Hays and grasp silver in the WAC title race. Most certainly, there was a collective exhale from the fans at Tangeman Sports Complex on Wednesday as Garden City advanced to the regional championship game, having couched themselves in the dugout as the top-dog underdog.

The second game carried a different energy. The stands filled with fans from all across southwest Kansas as the Liberal Lady Red and Garden City squared off for the regional championship. Liberal had made a statement in the earlier game, beating Wichita South emphatically, run ruling them 15-0 after only three innings. However, this matchup felt more routine, because for all intents and purposes, it was. Liberal, a WAC foe and annual jouster with Garden City, had been swept by the Lady Buffs in the regular season with a 3-0 series. Liberal, clearly empowered by their explosive start in the first round, carried a great deal of swagger into the championship bout. Garden City, on the other hand, continued with their business-like, underdog attitude and prepared for battle.

After two innings, it was only a 1-0 game after a Yas Angeles single that drove in a run. Defense was firing on all cylinders for both ball clubs until the Lady Buffs busted 4 runs in the third inning to make it a 5-0 ballgame. Yet, there was no release of the tension that had made a reappearance for the fans in the stands, as Liberal would score their first two runs in the top of the fourth to make it a 5-2 match. It was in that moment that Garden City, like a championship racehorse, found its stride on the final turn and pulled away. Garden City had punched first in this game, but Liberal countered with their two runs before the Lady Buffs delivered the knockout shot, bringing home 9 runs in the bottom of the fourth to give them a 14-2 lead over the Lady Red. It was a revolving door of batters and runners as Liberal reeled on the explosive output that Garden City had been storing for that moment. After finally retiring three batters to get out of the bottom of the fourth, Liberal couldn’t activate the bats themselves, and went down in order, with senior ace Kyleigh Whitehurst dealing heat to wrap up the championship game.

Elation, tears, and excitement flowed from the Garden City stands and no doubt will carry this exciting team to Lawrence, where the Lady Buffs are set to do battle with Washburn Rural (20-7) in the nightcap of a four-game slate of games to kick off the state tournament. Only one game stands between Garden City and history, as their only state semifinal appearance took place in 2017 when the Lady Buffs won third place, the high watermark in postseason play for the program.

First pitch on Thursday is set for 5p at Arrocha Ball Park on the campus of the University of Kansas. An extended pregame show will begin at 4:30p, with game coverage on 99.9 The Rock.