Hutchinson CC Sports Information
SEDALIA, Missouri – Six different Hutchinson Community College players combined for a Blue Dragon baseball single-game record eight home runs in a slugfest with State Fair Community College on Tuesday.
Hutchinson's power surge was a key factor in rallying from six runs down after 1 1/2 innings for a 20-13 win over the Roadrunners, the first of two meetings this season.
The Blue Dragons even their record at 5-5 heading into the opening of Jayhawk West play on Thursday against Barton at Hobart-Detter Field.
The eight home runs surpassed the previous record of seven, set against Independence on May 7, 2016 in the opening game of the Region VI Tournament opening round series at Hobart-Detter Field.
The 20 runs scored tied for the 10th-most runs score in single-game history. Hutchinson's last 20-run game was a 20-run output against Neosho County on May 12, 2018.
Will Reetz and Austin Callahan had two home runs each to lead the Dragons, who pounded out 17 hits, 13 for extra bases.
Reetz hit a two-run home run to start things off in the top of the first inning. State Fair answered with an eight-run bottom of the frame and led 8-2 after one inning.
Jack Torosian hit a two-run homer to center to cut the lead to four, But the Roadrunners added a two-run homer for a 10-4 lead after two. The teams traded runs in the third. Hutch's game from Cole Cosman leadoff homer. State Fair led 10-4 after three innings.
With one on and one out in the fifth, Reetz had his first career multi-home run game, hitting his second-long ball of the day to left and cutting the Dragon deficit to 11-7. The Dragons weren't done in the fourth. Three batters later Jenner Steele hit a three-run shot to center and Hutch trailed 11-10. Two batters later, Sterling Sutcliffe tied the game at 11 with a solo home run.
The Dragons took a 14-11 lead in the fifth with mere RBI doubles from Ben McLaughlin and Steele and Cosman added a sacrifice fly in a three-run fifth.
Callahan blasted a grand slam in the sixth to give the Dragons an 18-11 lead and tie the single-game home run record with Hutchinson's seventh of the game. Callahan broke the record with a solo home run in the top of the eighth for a 19-13 lead.
Sutcliffe went 4 for 6 from the No. 9 hole to lead the Blue Dragons. In addition to his home run, Sutcliffe also had a double.
Steele had career highs of three hit and five RBIs. McLaughlin had three doubles and three runs scored going 3 for 5.
Torosian, Callahan and Reetz had two hits each. Reetz drove in four runs and scored three.
Josh Mitchell came out of the bullpen to earn the victory. He worked a career-high three innings in relief of starting pitcher P.J. Loucks and reliever Chase Torkelson. Mitchell allowed three hits and two runs but struck out a career-high five. Tyler Delong had three strikeouts in one inning. Hunter Waugh struck out four over the final two innings.