Hutchinson CC Sports Information

MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas – Trailing by six runs entering the eighth inning of Game 2 against Northeast Texas, the No. 7-ranked Hutchinson Community College baseball team was staring squarely at being swept by the Eagles on Thursday.

Freshman Ryan Moritz hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the top of the ninth to force extra inning, and then freshman Zach Baxley hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the Top of the 10th to defeat Northeast Texas 9-7 in the nightcap on Thursday.

Northeast defeated Hutchinson 7-1 in the series opener on Thursday. The series finale will be played at noon on Friday.

GAME 2 RECAP
Hutchinson held a 2-1 lead entering the sixth inning of game two before the Eagles took control with five runs in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh to build a 7-2 lead entering the eighth. Hutch's comeback started in the eighth after Logan Sartori hit a solo home run to cut the Northeast lead to 7-3.

The top of the ninth started with consecutive singles by Baxley, Brock Schaffer and Zion Bowlin to load the bases to start the inning. Moritz pinch hit for Crit Williams and on his first pitch, hit a grand slam to left field to tie the game at 7-all.

After Jose Reyes Jr. pitched a scoreless ninth, Bobby Morgensen doubled to lead off the 10th.Two batters later, Baxley hit an 0-1 pitch over the leftfield walk for a go-ahead two-run home run and a 9-7 lead.

Reyes stranded the tying run on base in the bottom of the 10th to earn the pitching victory as Hutchinson goes 1-1 in extra innings this season.

The Blue Dragons had 13 hits with four players producing multiple-hit games.

Baxley went 3 for 5 with a double, homer with two runs scored and two RBIs to lead Hutchinson in the nightcap.

Sartori, Morgensen and Bowlin went 2 for 5 each. Sartori doubled and homered. Bowlin and Morgensen both doubled.

Reyes (1-1) had two strikeouts and allowed two hits to earn the victory.

Mason Palmier started and worked the first five innings. He allowed four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts.

The Dragons used seven pitchers in the game – Ryan Summers, Gage Wall, Riley Metzger, Timo Van Lingen, Zach Philbin and Reyes.

Northeast Texas took a 1-0 lead after one inning, but the Dragons took their first lead of the game with a Dylan Nedved RBI single. Nedved later scored in a Dragon double play to make it 2-1.

GAME 1 RECAP
Northeast pitcher Chandler Dean tossed a seven-inning complete game as the Blue Dragons mustered a season-low four hits in a 7-1 loss.

Dean needed 93 pitches and allowed four hits, one run and four walks with four strikeouts.

Wyatt Divis (0-1) started and worked the first 2 1-3 innings to pick up the loss.

Three of Hutch's four hits were doubles from Bowlin, Divis and Morgensen. Sartori had the other hit for the Dragons.

Northeast scored two runs in the first inning and broke the game open with five runs in the third.