Softball Splits Doubleheader with Garden City in Colby

COLBY, Kan. - The Colby Trojans softball team battled to a split against Garden City on Saturday (April 3), dropping the opener 5–3 before responding with a high-powered 16–14 victory in Game 2. Across the two games, the Trojans showcased their offensive depth, combining for 29 runs on 29 hits in a back-and-forth day of conference play.

Game 1

Colby found itself playing from behind early after Garden City struck in the first inning on a two-run home run from Maysen Kurene-Iwikau. The Broncbusters added another run in the second on a sacrifice fly to take a 2–0 lead before the Trojans began to settle in. 

Colby answered in the third inning when Brooke Zinken delivered an RBI single to score Briley Christensen, cutting the deficit to one. Despite outhitting Garden City 9–6, Colby struggled to capitalize in key moments, leaving runners on base while the Broncbusters took advantage of theirs.

The decisive stretch came in the fifth inning when Garden City plated three runs. A passed ball brought in the first run of the frame, followed by an RBI triple from Kurene-Iwikau and a run-scoring play that reached on an error, extending the lead to 5–1. Colby made a late push in the seventh as Christensen doubled home Ava Pezely and Ashlynn Pavlov followed with an RBI single to bring the score to 5–3, but the rally came up short. 

Christensen and Pavlov each recorded two hits in the loss, while Olivia Wirth also added a pair of hits. In the circle, Cheyenne Cramer allowed five runs (four earned) over 5.1 innings before Katelyn Zukewich closed the final 1.2 innings without allowing a run.

Game 2

Game 2 turned into a slugfest from the opening pitch, with both teams trading big innings throughout. Garden City opened the scoring in the first, but Colby answered emphatically with a five-run inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Kylan Sorenson and a two-run home run from Brooklynn Ekker. 

The momentum quickly shifted in the second inning when Garden City erupted for six runs, including a three-run homer from Danna Viera, to take a 7–5 lead. Colby chipped away with a run in the bottom half before the game broke wide open again in the third.

Trailing 10–6, the Trojans responded with a massive six-run third inning to reclaim the lead. Brooke Zinken tied the game with a two-run double, and Briley Christensen followed with an RBI single before Kylan Sorenson added another run-scoring hit to put Colby ahead 12–10. The back-and-forth continued into the middle innings, but Colby created crucial separation in the fifth. Zinken launched a solo home run, Christensen followed with a solo shot of her own, and Jalyssa Sabatka drove in two with a single to extend the lead to 16–11.

Garden City refused to go away, scoring three runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to 16–14 and bring the tying run into play. However, Colby's pitching staff held firm down the stretch, with Katelyn Zukewich providing key innings in relief and Cheyenne Cramer closing out the final 1.1 innings to secure the win. The Trojans finished with 20 hits in the game, led by Zinken's four-hit performance, while Christensen, Sorenson, and Ava Pezely each added three hits in the victory.

With the split, Colby continues conference play when they head to Goodland Wednesday (April 8).