Hutchinson CC Sports Information

MANHATTAN – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team was held to five hits by three Kansas City pitchers and the Blue Dragons dropped to the elimination bracket of the Plains District (Region VI) Tournament at Tointon Family Stadium.

The fourth-seeded Blue Devils defeated the 10th-seeded Blue Dragons and snapped Hutchinson's season-high nine-game winning streak with a 7-2 victory in the winners' bracket semifinals.

The Blue Dragons (37-22) will now play the Butler Grizzlies in an elimination game at 10 a.m. on Thursday. The Blue Dragon/Grizzlies winner would advance to another elimination game at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Kansas City, ranked No. 17 in the final NJCAA rankings with a 49-10 record, took a 2-0 lead after one inning and never relinquished that lead.

The Dragons pulled within 2-1 in the second when Bryce Logan's sacrifice fly to center scored Jack Torosian. Hunter Gotreaux's sacrifice fly in the third to deep left allowed Sterling Sutcliffe to score, pulling the Dragons within 3-2.

The Blue Dragons left six runners on base in the first three innings. They had just two baserunners altogether over the final six innings – a two-out walk to Ben McLaughlin in the fourth and a one-out double by Cade Baker in the sixth. KCK pitchers retired the final 11 Blue Dragon batters of the game.

Baker and Torosian both doubled for the Blue Dragons. Braedyn Sommer, Sutcliffe and Gotreaux all had singles.

Kansas City had 13 hits against three Blue Dragon pitchers and Hutchinson added five errors.

Chase Torkelson (3-4) pitched six innings in his second postseason start. He allowed 11 hits, five runs, four earned runs and struck out five with no walks. Brady Beverman pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Michael Uhler allowed two runs in the ninth inning.