Hutchinson CC Sports Information
From an offensive standout, the Hutchinson Community College baseball team tied for the 11th-most runs scored in a single game on Tuesday at Hobart-Detter Field. From the defensive/pitching perspective, the Cowley Tigers had one of the biggest days by an opponent in Blue Dragon history.
The Tigers outlasted the Blue Dragons 23-22 in the first of two meetings this season between Cowley and Hutchinson.
The Blue Dragons are now 16-5 overall. Hutchinson returns to Jayhawk Conference play on Thursday at Butler. Cowley is now 12-7.
The final numbers – Cowley 23 runs on 21 hits and Hutchinson 22 runs on 21 hits – rank among the biggest single-game numbers in program history:
+ The combined 45 runs ties for second most in team history, matching the 45 combined runs scored between Hutchinson and Cowley on April 12, 2022 at Hobart-Detter Field.
+ Hutchinson's 22 runs scored tied for the 11th-most scored in Blue Dragon single-game history.
+ Cowley's 23 runs are the third-most runs scored by a Blue Dragon opponent in Blue Dragon single-game history.
The Blue Dragons were on the cusp of completing the largest comeback in program history. Twice the Blue Dragons scored by 12 runs and trailed 23-14 at the seventh-inning stretch.
Trailing 16-4 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Dragons exploded for 10 runs in the inning to pull within 16-14. Hutchinson sent 15 batters to the plate in the inning and pulled within two on Colin Cymbalista's sacrifice fly that scored Jordan Tucker.
Cowley immediately answered back with a seven-run seven inning to claim a 23-14 lead.
The Blue Dragons kept battling back, posting an eight-run seventh inning to pull within 23-22. Cody Gunderson homers to right to lead off the inning. Jackson Summers then added a two-run single to pull within six runs. Cymbalista followed with an RBI single, Luis Pimentel-Guerrero drew a bases-loaded walk, Jon Davis scored on a wild pitch, Gunderson singled home Cymbalista and Quinn Maher's RBI single drove in Pimentel-Guerrero to complete the eight-run inning and pull the Dragons within 23-22.
Neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings, but the Blue Dragons stranded the potential tying run at second base in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Gunderson paced the Blue Dragon offensive onslaught going 4 for 6 with two home runs – he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 2-all. Gunderson had five RBIs and scored three runs.
Maher had his first career four-hit game going 4 for 4 with two runs, two RBIs and two walks.
Cymbalista was 3 for 5 with a triple, three runs scored and two RBIs. Mac Bowie, Tucker and Summers had two hits each. Bowie had a double and three runs scored. Tucker tripled and scored three runs. Summers had a season-high three RBIs.
Pimentel-Guerrero homered and drove in four runs.
The Blue Dragons six walks off eight different Cowley pitchers, which combined for 14 strikeouts. Seven Blue Dragon batters were hit with pitches. Six Cowley batters were plunked with pitches.
Hutchinson used nine different pitchers. Gus McKay was tagged with the loss. Blue Dragon pitchers allowed seven combined walks and the Blue Dragons committed seven errors, which tied for the fifth most in single-game history, matching seven errors against Independence in a Region VI Tournament game on May 8, 2015.