Hutchinson CC Sports Information
GREAT BEND – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team hit seven home runs on Sunday and wound up with a doubleheader sweep and series victory over the Barton Cougars at Lawson-Biggs Field.
The Blue Dragons hit the first four round-trippers as part of a 17-hit attack in a 20-4 run-rule victory in the first game on Sunday. The Blue Dragons needed the last three and a clutch bullpen performance from Tyler Delong as Hutchinson rallied from eight runs down after two innings to defeat the Cougars 14-13 in the series finale.
Hutchinson is now 8-6 overall and 3-1 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons won the final three games of the series after falling 10-4 to the Cougars in the league opener on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Blue Dragons don't have a mid-week game this week. Hutchinson opens a four-game Jayhawk West set at Seward County on Thursday with the final two games of the series on Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field. Barton falls to 13-4 overall and 1-3 in league play. The Cougars have Colby next in league play.
GAME 2 RECAP
Hutchinson trailed Barton 9-1 after two innings and 10-5 after three innings in the second game. The Cougars touched up starter Luke Hornberger and relievers Caden Pogue and Zach Covey for 10 runs and 10 hits over the first three innings.
Enter Delong in the fourth inning. He had to pitch around three errors over four scoreless innings from the fourth through seventh innings. A fourth Dragon error led to two unearned eighth-inning runs to close what had become a four-run Dragon lead to 14-12. Delong gave up a leadoff ninth-inning single and gave way to Cade Fenton, who earned his first save of the season.
Delong (2-0) earned the victory. He struck out four and walked nine while allowing only two hits and three runs, just won run was earned. The save was Fenton's first of the season.
The Blue Dragons started the comeback with a Will Reetz RBI single and three-run Jenner Steele home run in a four-run third to cut the Barton lead to 9-5. Mason Lowe had a two-out RBI single in the fourth and Ben McLaughlin had an RBI double in the fifth to pull within 10-7.
Austin Callahan launched a three-run home run to tie the game at 10-all with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Sterling Sutcliffe hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh for a 12-10 lead. Drew Reetz and Cole Cosman had back-to-back RBI singles in the eighth to build a 14-10 lead.
The Blue Dragons had 15 hits in the second half with six Hutchinson players having two hits each.
Steele went 2 for 4 – he was 5 for 8 with two home runs in the doubleheader – with three RBIs. Callahan was 2 for 5 with three RBIs.
Low, Will Reetz, McLaughlin and Drew Reetz also had two hits each. Will Reetz now has a team-high nine game hitting streak. Will Reetz and Callahan are tied for team-high honors with six multi-hit games each.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Blue Dragons reached 20 runs in a game for the second time this season and tied for the 10th-most runs scored in Hutchinson single-game history. The Blue Dragons, including both games on Sunday, now have five multi-home run games. The Blue Dragons now have 23 home runs in 14 games this season.
Hutchinson scored three runs in the top of the first after Callahan's RBI single and Steele's two-run single. The Dragons then sent nine batters to the plate in a six-run second inning. The big play was a McLaughlin three-run home run.
The third inning was even better as eight runs scored in the inning. Will Reetz and Steele both two two-run home runs and Jack Torosian added an RBI triple for a 17-4 lead. After a scoreless fourth, the Dragons got a Drew Reetz RBI double and two-run Daniel Bebee home run for a 20-4 lead.
The Blue Dragons totaled 17 total hits with four homers and four doubles.
Callahan and Steele had three hits each to lead the Blue Dragons. Steele had four RBIS Callahan added three. Torosian, Will Reetz, McLaughlin and Sutcliffe all had two hits each. McLaughlin had three RBIs and Will Reetz drove in two.
Sammy Sanchez (1-1) pitched the final 2 2-3 innings to for the pitching victory. He allowed only two hits and struck out five.