DRAGONS SPLIT WITH COFFEYVILLE ON OPENING DAY

Riley Metzger hit a pair of home runs and drive in five runs in Hutchinson's 11-8 win over Coffeyville in Game 1 of a season-opening doubleheder on Saturday in Coffeyville.
Riley Metzger hit a pair of home runs and drive in five runs in Hutchinson's 11-8 win over Coffeyville in Game 1 of a season-opening doubleheder on Saturday in Coffeyville.

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

COFFEYVILLE – Riley Metzger hit a pair of home runs and Logan Sartori drove in four runs to lead the No. 20-ranked Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a season-opening 11-8 victory over Coffeyville at Walter Johnson Park.

Hutchinson's rally from a seven-run deficit after five innings fell short in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Coffeyville earned a split with the Dragons with a 9-7 win.

The 1-1 Blue Dragons will open at Hobart-Detter Field this Friday against the Highland Scotties.

GAME 1 RECAP
The season started off in grand fashion when Sartori hit a two-run home run in his first plate appearance. Coffeyville then scored three in the bottom the first.

Hutch immediately answered with a RBI double by Jeremiah Ceasar to tie the game. Dylan Nedved then hit an two-out RBI single to take the lead for good as part of a three-run second.

Metzger hit the first of his two home runs, a two-run shot, in the third to give Hutch a 7-4 lead. The then hit a three-run homer in the fourth for an 11-4 lead.

The Blue Dragons then had to hold on as Coffeyville scored one in the fourth and three in the fifth.

Winning pitcher Matt Delcambre pitched a scoreless sixth and Nedved pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with one strikeout to close the game out.

The Blue Dragons pounded out 12 hits in the opening game with five players racking up multi-hit games.

Metzger was 2 for 4 with a pair of home runs, five RBIs and two runs scored.

Sartori went 3 for 4 with a double and four RBIs. Nedved, Zach Baxley and Zane Schmidt all had two hits. Baxley had a double.

Starting pitcher Miguel Reyes went three-plus innings and allowed six hits, five runs (four earned) with two walks and no strikeouts. Delcambre (1-0) worked three innings with two hits and three earned runs allowed. He had three strikeouts and two walks.

GAME 2 RECAP
Coffeyville jumped out to an 8-0 lead through four innings with runs scored in the Red Ravens first five at-bats. Hutch starter L.J. McDonough lasted just 2-3 inning as four Blue Dragon pitchers allowed nine hits and six walks, but struck out 14.

Coffeyville pitcher Jackson Blancarte was solid for four innings with eight strikeouts. Hutch got to Blancarte with two outs in the fifth. Schmidt had an RBI single, Ryan Moritz a two-run double and Zach Baxley had an RBI single to cut the Coffeyville lead to 8-4.

Trailing 9-4 into the eighth, the Blue Dragons scored three on a Nedved RBI single, Schmidt sacrifice fly and Sartori scoring on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 9-7.

The Blue Dragons brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth with two out, but couldn't complete the comeback.

Baxley went 2 for 4 with an RBI to lead Hutchinson's seven-hit attack. Schmidt and Moritz drove in two runs each.

Sophomore Matt Hopkins struck out four in two scoreless innings. Jake Bunz fanned five Ravens in two innings. He allowed two unearned runs. McDonough struck out two and walked four in 2-3 inning. Mike Brown had three strikeouts in 2 1-3 innings.