Baseball Takes Series in High-Scoring Doubleheader Sweep of Garden City

COLBY, Kan. - Colby baseball delivered one of its most explosive performances of the season on Saturday (April 18), powering past Garden City in a high-scoring doubleheader sweep at home. Fueled by relentless offense and clutch late-inning execution, the Trojans combined for 34 runs across two games to secure a statement conference sweep and build major momentum moving forward. 

Game 1

The squad erupted offensively, rolling to a dominant 17–7 win over Garden City in Game 1 behind a relentless 16-hit attack and a lineup that produced runs in every inning.

The Trojans wasted no time setting the tone, striking for four runs in the opening frame. Turner Zdunich delivered the biggest swing of the inning, launching a three-run home run to put Colby in control early. Anthony Deblois followed with a solo home run to extend the lead to 4–1, giving the Trojans an immediate cushion.

Colby kept the pressure on in the second inning as Charlie Langford doubled in a run before Zdunich added more damage with an RBI triple, pushing the lead to 6–1. The offensive surge continued in the third when Jake Brooks reached on a groundout that still brought home a run, extending the advantage to 7–1.

Garden City attempted to respond in the middle innings, cutting into the deficit with a pair of home runs from Will Togher and Roy Higinbotham in the fourth. But every time the Broncbusters scored, Colby answered.

In the bottom of the fourth, Zdunich stayed locked in, singling to center field for his fifth RBI of the day, finishing just a single shy of the cycle. Garden City added three more in the fifth, but Colby's bats never cooled.

The Trojans broke the game wide open in the bottom half of the fifth. Jacob Mraz doubled in a run, and Charlie Langford followed with a two-run home run to stretch the lead. Then in the sixth inning, Colby delivered the knockout blow, Jake Brooks crushed a grand slam, followed immediately by a Caden Clifford two-run homer to seal the run-rule victory at 17–7.

Offensively, it was a complete team effort. Turner Zdunich went 3-for-4 with a triple, home run, five RBIs, and was a single away from the cycle. Charlie Langford also finished a hit shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a double and home run while driving in three runs. Jake Brooks added a grand slam and four RBIs, while Clifford contributed a home run and two RBIs.

Anthony Deblois earned the win on the mound, working 4.2 innings while striking out seven and holding Garden City's offense in check long enough for the bats to take over.

Game 2

Colby then closed out an unforgettable offensive weekend with a dramatic 17–15 walk-off win over Garden City in Game 2 of a wild doubleheader that featured 32 combined runs, 34 hits, and constant momentum swings from start to finish.

The Trojans struck first again, scoring three runs in the opening inning highlighted by a Charlie Langford solo home run and a two-run blast from Anthony Deblois to jump out early. Garden City responded quickly with a two-run homer from Karson Evans in the top half, but Colby immediately regained control with another wave of power in the third inning, including Langford's second home run of the game and a solo shot from Callum Thomson to build a 6–4 advantage.

Colby extended its lead in the middle innings behind a relentless power surge. Matthew Kesting launched a solo home run in the fifth, followed by another blast from Callum Thomson, and then a three-run shot from Kesting in the sixth that pushed the Trojans ahead 12–4. At that point, Colby had hit seven home runs in the game and looked firmly in control.

But Garden City refused to go away as they erupted in the seventh inning, putting together a massive six-run frame fueled by a Cael Hamrick three-RBI double and multiple hits up and down the lineup to cut the deficit to 12–10. They continued the rally in the eighth, scratching across another run to pull within one, and then stunned Colby in the ninth with back-to-back home runs from Riley Bowman and Aiden Roberts to tie the game at 15–15.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the game tied, Turner Zdunich delivered the biggest swing of the day. After already contributing throughout the series, Zdunich stepped up and launched a two-run walk-off home run to left, sealing a 17–15 victory and completing one of the most chaotic and explosive wins of the season.

Offensively, Colby matched Garden City hit for hit with 17 of its own. Matthew Kesting powered the lineup with two home runs and five RBIs, Callum Thomson added two homers and multiple key runs, and Charlie Langford also went deep twice to set the tone early. Deblois, Zdunich, and several others contributed to a relentless 17-run effort that never stopped answering Garden City's rallies.

On the mound, Tommy Mann gave Colby six solid innings before the bullpen weathered a late surge to hold on long enough for the offense to finish the job.

In the end, it was a statement win defined by power and clutch execution, capped by Zdunich's walk-off blast to secure a thrilling doubleheader split and one of the most memorable wins of the season.

The Trojans ultimately won the series 3–1 and now hold more conference victories than three other opponents in the standings. With momentum building after an explosive weekend at the plate, Colby now turns its attention to a non-conference matchups at McCook Tuesday (April 21) before heading east to Kansas City for a series against Kansas City Kansas beginning Friday (April 24).