Hutchinson CC Sports Information
MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas – A second-straight huge comeback was there for the taking for the No. 7-ranked Hutchinson Community College Baseball team on Friday in the three-game series finale at Northeast Texas.
Trailing by as many as six runs on Friday, the Blue Dragons rallied to tie the game with three runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game.
But the wheels came off in the bottom of the seventh as the Dragons committed two of their season-worst eight errors in a five-run Eagle seventh as Northeast Texas won the series with a 15-11 victory.
The Blue Dragons are 3-3 overall heading into Monday's home opener against Independence at 3 p.m. at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Blue Dragons on Thursday rallied from five runs down to defeat Northeast Texas 9-7 in 10 innings in the second game of the series. On Friday, Hutchinson trailed 9-3 through five innings.
Hutch crept its way back in the game with a three-run sixth after a Ryan Moritz RBI single, who later scored on a wild pitch. Then Zion Bowlin scored on an Eagle error to cut the Northeast lead to 9-6.
Bobby Morgensen's two-run double in the seventh pulled the Dragons within 9-8. Morgensen then scored on Moritz's one-out double to tie the game a 9-all.
With a runner at first and two out in the bottom of the seventh, things went wrong for the Blue Dragons. Northeast's Hunter Thomas hit a two-run home run and the Eagles went on to cash in one a walk and two more errors to score five in inning and reclaim control of the game.
Each team had 12 hits, but the Blue Dragons committed eight errors that led to eight unearned runs.
Bowlin led the Blue Dragons going 3 for 5 with a triple and two runs scored.
Zach Baxley went 2 for 5 with a triple, two-run home run and two runs scored. Moritz was 2 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. Wyatt Divis had a two-run double and walked two times.
The Blue Dragons used five pitchers on Friday. Starter Matt Hopkins went two innings and allowed four hits and five runs, only two earned. Grady Kirkhart, who worked the only scoreless inning for any Blue Dragon pitcher on Friday, was tagged with the loss.
Northeast's Matt Kortendick was the winning pitcher.
Matt Scheurich had two home runs and four RBIs to lead Northeast offensively.