By Taylor Deutscher

The Garden City Wind (8-22) fell to the Alpine Cowboys (17-13) Friday night after tying the game in the eighth, but unable to produce any more runs and forcing extra innings. Alpine had a five-run burst in the 11th for the 11-7 victory.

Though it was not enough, Garden City scored their final run in the 11th. Cody Ellis drove in Edgar Munoz on a single up the middle. Ellis finished the night with a double and two singles with three RBIs. Munoz recorded three singles.

The Wind tied the game up 6-6 in the eighth as the bases were loaded. Pinch hitter Brandon Worton reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Cody Ellis as Albert Gonzalez was called out at third.

Earlier in the inning, the Wind came within one run in the eighth on a major RBI single by Ellis. The hit brought in Shea Bell, who reached on a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Garden City first came to life in the seventh after Gonzalez scored as Tyler Lundgren reached first on an Alpine error. The Wind came within two runs after a two-run home run by Gabe Cook to make the score 6-4.

Cook entered the game as a pinch hitter for pitcher Chip White. Despite getting another runner on base after Cook’s home run, Garden City was unable to produce more runs in the inning.

Zack Russell-Myers started off with an efficient seven-pitch first inning, but the second inning proved to be more difficult for Garden City. Alpine’s first batter was retired on a groundout, but the next four reached on two hit by pitches, a walk and a Wind error. All four runs scored.

With Russell-Myers on first in the third, Dylin Brooks shot the ball out to right field that looked like it would go over the fence and cut Alpine’s lead to just two runs, but it dropped into Jarret Young’s glove just in front of the wall.

Garden City first scored in the fourth on an RBI double by Ellis. Bell took off from first to cross the plate, but Ellis was left stranded at second.

The Cowboys picked up another run in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Tim Henry reached on a fielder’s choice, but advanced to second on a throwing error for the Wind. Yuta Okazaki flew out to Larry Rodriguez in right. On the play, Henry made a break for home, but Rodriguez sent a laser to Lundgren at home, where he was able to complete the double play and keep another Alpine run from scoring.

Russell-Myers (0-4) finished the night with six runs--two earned--and seven hits with six strikeouts in six innings pitched for a no-decision.

White and Ethan Rosebeck tossed effective, scoreless innings in relief before Brandon Hudson entered the game in the ninth. Hudson got the Wind to the 11th inning, pitching two innings with no runs and no hits.

Starting the 11th, Ryan Blinderman recorded one out before allowing the tie-breaking run to score on a hit by pitch. Blinderman (0-2) was charged with the loss as well as four runs and one hit on the night.

Craig Jaquez took over on the mound, allowing a base-clearing triple, but only one run was his.