Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Freshman Jaeleigh Darnell drove in a combined seven runs while pitchers Emily Munson and Morgan Pennycuff twirled complete games to lead the No. 17-ranked Hutchinson Community College softball team to a huge doubleheader sweep of the Barton Cougars on Wednesday at Fun Valley.
Darnell hit a three-run home run and Munson limited the Cougars to just two hits as Hutchinson defeated Barton 9-1 in five innings in Game 1. Darnell hit a three-run triple to break open a close game in the third inning while Pennycuff threw a complete-game one hitter in a 13-0 victory in Game 2.
With the sweep of the Cougars and a KJCCC doubleheader sweep between Butler and Colby, the Blue Dragons (31-6) surged into first place in the Jayhawk Conference with a 19-3 record. Hutchinson travels to play at Dodge City on Saturday. Barton fell to 24-17 overall and 17-7 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons swept the regular-season series with Barton 4-0.
The Blue Dragons reached the 30-win mark for the 14th time in program history and for the ninth time in the Jaime Rose era. The Blue Dragons are also now just two victories shy of 1,000 wins in program history. Rose is also four wins shy of 600 wins for her coaching career, 558 have come at Hutchinson.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Blue Dragons scored three runs in each of their first three at-bats to take early control of the first game.
With two out in the first, Alexis Mastin hit a two-run single and Allie Stipsits drive Mastin in with a double to make it a 3-0 Dragon lead. After Barton scored a single run. Riley Wertz scored on a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Ella Dougherty. Korri Lies scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Madison Grimes, who eventually scored to make it 6-1 when Aspen Goetz purposely got caught in a rundown between first and second base.
Mastin and Stipsits were both hit by pitches to lead off the third. Darnell then lined a three-run opposite field home run to left to make it 9-1 Hutchinson.
Munson (5-0) earned a victory in her second-straight start and pitched her first complete game of the season. Munson allowed two hits and one earned run with one strikeout and no walks. She faced the minimum in four of five innings, getting a Stipsits pickoff at first to end the third inning. Munson retired the final eight batters she faced.
Munson got out of a second-inning jam. With one run in and runners at first and second, Munson got a force play at second a foul out to end the inning with minimal damage.
The Blue Dragons had just five hits in Game 1 coming from Dougherty, Mastin, Stipsits, Darnell and Lies. Darnell's home run was her third of the season.
GAME 2 RECAP
Pennycuff (11-2) tossed her second complete-game one hitter on Wednesday and picked up her first career-game shutout.
After retiring the first six batters she faced, Pennycuff gave up a single and walk in the third, but kept Barton off the board. The only baserunner Pennycuff allowed as a leadoff error to start the fifth.
Tied 0-0 after two innings, the Blue Dragons parlayed two Barton errors into a seven-run third inning. Dougherty singled in Lies to start the inning. Then Olivia Sandoval scored on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Stipsits. Darnell made it 5-0 on a three-run triple to right center by Darnell.
The Dragons added six more runs in the fourth with Lies and Sandoval each adding two-run singles.
Hutchinson had 12 hits in the second game. Dougherty was 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI. Goetz was 2 for 3 with a run scored. Each Blue Dragon starter had at least one hit.
Darnell drove in a career-high four runs in the second game..