BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL |
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Hutchinson (36-21) vs. Neosho County (40-19) When: Saturday, May 12, 2018 Where: Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, Wichita When: 1 p.m. Videostream: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 12:50 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
WICHITA – Cowley College pitcher Cole Larsen twirled a three-hit gem on Friday and sent the Hutchinson Community College baseball team tumbling to the loser's bracket of the 2018 Region VI/Central District Tournament on Friday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Top-seeded Cowley scored in just two innings – two in the second and four in the fourth – but that was more than enough for Larsen as the Blue Dragons fell 6-1 in the opening round.
No. 8 seed Hutchinson falls to 36-21 overall and faces an elimination test at 1 p.m. on Saturday against Neosho County (40-19). The Blue Dragons are 2-0 in elimination games so far in the 2018 postseason.
Of the four opening-round games on Friday, only the Hutch-Cowley game went the full nine innings as Seward County, Barton and Kansas City all won by run-rules.
Larsen carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning on Friday – this was the second time this season the Dragons were had no hits that deep into a game. Larsen then lost his no-hit and shutout bid all in one swing as sophomore Julian Rip launched his ninth home run of the season off the batter's eye in center field to lead off the sixth inning. That cut the Cowley lead to 6-1.
Wyatt Divis led off the seventh inning with a sharp single up the middle and Zach Baxley doubled to left-center to lead off the eighth, but those were the only hits off Larsen in the game as Hutchinson tied a season-low for hits in a game with three.
Larsen struck out 10 and walked just one in 102 pitches in a complete-game performance.
Cowley took a 2-0 lead in the second when Cross Factor tripled to right center and the throw to third ended up in the stands, giving him home plate. Masen Stites also singled home a run for a 2-0 lead off Blue Dragon starter Mike Brown.
Cowley's decisive blow came in the fourth when Devin Beard delivered a three-run triple and then scored on a Kea'Von Edwards sacrifice fly to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Brown (5-4) lost his third-straight decision allowing six hits, six earned runs and three walks while striking out six. Matt Hopkins, Zack Philbin and Zach Moore each worked a scoreless inning of relief.