By MIKE KESSINGER

mkessinger@gctelegram.com

There was lightning all around Tangeman Sports Complex from miles away Tuesday, but it wasn't the kind of power surge the Garden City High School softball team was looking for.

The Lady Buffaloes were needing an offensive surge. And by the time their Western Athletic Conference doubleheader ended against Hays High, it never came. The Buffaloes were swept for the first time on their new home field, losing the first game 13-11, then dropped the nightcap 7-5.

"I wish I could point the finger at exactly what is going on here, but I can't," Garden City head coach John Ford said. "I don't know what is going on, because the kids were playing pretty good ball at one time. Now all of a sudden, they have lost the energy, they've lost the mental toughness to keep it going. It's kind of up to us coaches to figure out what we can do to get it back."

With Thursday's doubleheader against Dodge City the final games of the regular season for Garden City, time is running short on finding the spark Ford is looking for before regionals start.

The Buffaloes did show flashes of their comeback ability that helped them to some early season wins. But when Garden City (6-12, 3-5) needed the runs the most, the Buffaloes couldn't come up with them. Hays High built a 9-1 lead in the first two innings of the opening game. The Buffaloes crept back scoring a run in third, two in the fourth, then five in fifth.

In Garden City's half of the fifth, Indians' pitcher Carissa Wickham gave the Buffaloes plenty of help. Wickham, who did not give up a walk in the first four innings, started the fifth by walking Prisma Alcantar. She then gave up a single to McKayla Aguiniga, then a Wickham wild pitch allowed Alcantar to score. After two straight walks, Aguiniga scored with the bases loaded cutting the deficit to 11-6. The Buffaloes final three runs of the inning came on an error allowing Vanessa Galvan to score, then Lexi Parr went home on a wild pitch, and Mandi Beltran scored on a past ball.

Garden City got within a run in the sixth when Alex Trejo scored on a past ball.

The Buffaloes final chance in the seventh came after Hays High scored two runs on a Sandra Nickel double. Garden City got one run back when Kim Bogner scored on a wild pitch, but with one on, Trejo grounded out to end the game.

"I really thought we could win at least one of the two," Ford said. "I didn't think we would get swept. If we would have came out of here winning one of two, then I would have thought we played some pretty good ball."

Unlike the first game when Hays High jumped out early, it the Buffaloes with the quick start in the nightcap. Garden City led 3-1 at the end of the first inning and score remained the same until the fourth. The Indians scored two runs to tie it, then in the fifth Garden City took its two-run lead back. A two-run RBI single by Aguiniga put Garden City up 5-3.

As the lightning started to show more in the distance, Hays High did its part to make sure if the game ended early, they would pick up the win. Started by a Wickham single that scored Amanda Groff, the Indians scored three more runs. Garden City had no response with no runs in either the sixth or seventh innings.

"When it comes to ending a game because of lightning, to me that's not right," Ford said. "You don't want hand outs, you want to play the game all the way out. I'm glad it went all the way out. We need to be pushed. We need that kind of pressure. That's the only way those younger kids are going to get better."

Regina Aguiniga (5-11) took the loss in the both games for Garden City. She gave up 15 hits in the first game, then nine in the second. She had a combined five strikeouts in the two games.

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Game 1

Hays High 13, Garden City 11

Hays High 270 020 2 -- 13 16 4

Garden City 101 251 1 -- 11 9 4

Wickham, Am. Groff (6) and Klaus; R. Aguiniga and Galvan. W -- Wickham. L -- R. Aguiniga (5-11). 2B -- Hays, Nickel. HR -- Hays, Montgomery.

Game 2

Hays High 7, Garden City 5

Hays High 100 204 0 -- 7 9 1

Garden City 300 020 0 -- 5 8 2

Am. Groff and Klaus; R. Aguiniga and Galvan. W -- Am. Groff. L -- R. Aguiniga (5-12). 2B -- Hays, Montgomery (2), Voss.