Hutchinson CC Sports Information

DODGE CITY – Just when its bid for a home playoff series seemed in jeopardy on Friday, the Hutchinson Community College baseball team's resurgent offense came up big against the Dodge City Conquistadors on Friday at Cavalier Field.

After letting a three-run lead slip away late in Game 1, sophomore Ben McLaughlin hit his 30th career home run in the top of the eighth inning to lead the Blue Dragons to an 11-9 extra-inning over Dodge City in Game 1. The Dragons then saw a pair of five-run leads dwindle to one in Game 2. The Dragons scored 12 runs in their final two at-bats and posted a 17-8 victory to take a 2-0 series lead over the Conquistadors.

The Blue Dragons improved to 32-21 overall and remain tied for fourth place with Butler at 18-12. The Grizzlies swept Garden City on Friday. With two league games remaining for both teams, the Blue Dragons must finish ahead of the Grizzlies in order to earn a home Region VI Tournament series next Week. Butler owns the direct tiebreaker with the Blue Dragons, winning the head-to-head series 3-1.

Games 3 and 4 between the Blue Dragons and Conquistadors will be Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field with games at 1 and 3:30 p.m. The Blue Dragons will also recognize their 2022 sophomores between games.

GAME 1 RECAP
The Blue Dragons led 9-7 entering Dodge City's half of the seventh. The Conquistadors tied the game at 9-all with a leadoff home run and sacrifice fly. Dodge tried to win the game on another sacrifice fly attempt, but Blue Dragon right-fielder Sterling Sutcliffe threw out Zandt Payne at the plate to end the inning.

Braedyn Sommer walked with one out in the top of the eighth before McLaughlin hit his 17th home run of the season to centerfield for an 11-9 lead. McLaughlin becomes only the second Blue Dragon ever to reach 30 career home runs, joining Caden Doga (41 career homers). Also, with six combined RBIs on Friday, McLaughlin tied Michael Helman for fourth place on the career RBI list with 131.

Reed Scott came out of the bullpen to work a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for his fourth save of the save of the season, closing out a win for Zane Covey (2-0).

Sutcliffe hit his 18th home run of the season and 25th of his career in the first inning for a 1-0 lead, but Dodge City scored three runs each in the first and third innings off starter Chase Torkelson to build a 6-1 lead.

The Blue Dragons tied the game at 6-all with five runs in the fourth inning. Jack Torosian hit a two-run home run, Kael Babin executed a safety squeeze bunt to score Hunter Gotreaux and McLaughlin had a two-run single.

The Dragons took a 7-6 lead in the fifth on a Gotreaux solo home run and led 9-6 in the sixth on a McLaughlin RBI single and Sommer scoring on a wild pitch.

McLaughlin went 3 for 5 with a homer and five RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Gotreaux was 3 for 3 with a homer, double, two runs and an RBI.

Sommer was 2 for 3 and reached base four times.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Dodge City 12-11.

GAME 2 RECAP
Leading 5-0, the Blue Dragon bullpen again struggled and let two five-run leads shrink to one twice.

The Dragon offense was unrelenting, scoring five unearned runs in the sixth inning and erupted for seven more runs in the seventh to finish off Game 2.

The sixth inning was keyed by a Sommer sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Ryan Henderson and a two-run double by Torosian.

Leading 10-7 entering the seventh, the Blue Dragons sent 11 batters to the plate. Cade Baker started the big inning with an RBI single. McLaughlin had an RBI double, Sutcliffe and RBI groundout, a two-run single by Gotreaux and Bryce Logan's RBI single were key plays in the seventh that saw the Dragons built a 17-8 lead.

Logan and Baker keyed Hutchinson's 13-hit attack with three hits each. Logan was 3 for 5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs. Baker was 3 for 5 with a double, homer and three RBIs. McLaughlin and Gotreaux had two hits each.

Jack Whitlock (7-3) threw four shutout innings to earn the victory. He gave up just three hits and struck out one.

The Blue Dragon bullpen allowed eight runs, seven hits and four walks, but Noah Kelley worked 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts for his second save of the season.