Hutchinson CC Sports Information
PRATT – The Hutchinson Community College pitching staff hasn't grabbed many headlines this season, but the Blue Dragons were impressive on Thursday on the mound to open a Jayhawk West series with the Pratt Beavers.
Zach Firmature threw a complete-game three hitter, then Sammy Sanchez, Josh Mitchell and Tyler Delong combined to scatter 10 hits as the Blue Dragons took the first two games of the series from Pratt at Stanion Field.
The Blue Dragons defeated Pratt 5-2 and 8-2 on Thursday to improve to 17-9 overall and 11-3 in the Jayhawk West. Games 3 and 4 will be played at 1 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field. One win on Saturday secures a fourth-straight Jayhawk West series victory. Pratt falls to 6-16 overall, 1-9 in the Jayhawk West.
GAME 1 RECAP
Firmature tossed his first career complete game and improved to 5-1 this season with seven strong innings.
Firmature needed 102 pitches to limit the Beavers to three total hits, two runs and one earned run and two walks. The Blue Dragon sophomore had seven strikeouts.
He allowed a leadoff triple in the first inning, which scored on a groundout. Pratt scored an unearned run in the third. From that point, Firmature sat down 14 of the final 17 Beavers he faced, allowing just a pair of singles and a walk.
The Blue Dragons had just seven hits, but took advantage of four Pratt errors. Mason Lowe was 2 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs from the leadoff spot. Will Reetz was 1 for 3, getting a two-run single in the third to give Hutch a short-lived 2-1 lead.
After Pratt tied the game at 2-all after three innings, the Blue Dragons immediately counted. Lowe ripped a two-run double to give the Dragons a 4-2 lead. Lowe then moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored on an Austin Callahan sacrifice fly for a 5-2 Dragon lead.
GAME 2 RECAP
Sanchez improved to 4-1 with five-plus innings of work. He allowed eight hits and single runs in both the fourth and fifth inning. In both of those innings, Sanchez made some huge pitches with runners in scoring position. Pratt left two on bases in the fourth and left the bases loaded in the fifth.
Mitchell worked 1 2-3 innings with two strikeouts and one hit allowed. Delong worked 2 1-3 shutout innings, allowing one hit, no runs and struck out four.
Austin Callahan went 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBIs. His 11th home run of the season came as a leadoff-shot in the ninth, an opposite field shot to left-center that gave the Dragons an 8-2 lead.
Will Reetz also homered to lead off the fourth, giving Hutchinson a 4-0 lead. Cole Cosman also homered the opponent way to left-center two out and the bases empty in the sixth for a 6-2 lead.
Jenner Steele and Cade Argo both had two hits as Hutchinson plated runs in 7 of 9 offensive innings in Game 2.