Hutchinson CC Sports Information
TISHOMINGO, Oklahoma – The No. 17-ranked Hutchinson Community College softball team lost its first games of the 2024 season on Thursday, dropping a doubleheader to NJCAA Division II power Murray State College.
Murray State rallied from three runs down to defeat the Blue Dragons 4-3 in Game 1. The Aggies jumped out to a five-run lead in Game 2vand held off a furious Hutchinson rally in a 6-4 win over the Blue Dragons.
Hutchinson is now 6-2 to start the season. The Blue Dragons play North Central Texas in a doubleheader at Noon and 2 p.m. on Friday to close out the four-game road trip in Gainesville, Texas.
Sophomore third baseman Olivia Sandoval extended her consecutive game hitting streak to 24 games dating back to the final 16 games last season. Sandoval had a first-inning infield single in Game 1 to extended the streak to 23 games. She was 2 for 3 in the second game, getting a single in her third plate appearance to up the second-longest hitting streak in Blue Dragon history to 24 games.
GAME 1 RECAP – Murray State 4, Hutchinson 3
The Blue Dragons built a 3-0 lead through four innings in Game 1 and pitcher Dakota Lake allowed just one hit through her first five innings.
The Dragons struck for a pair of runs after Jaeleigh Darnell's sacrifice fly scored Bailey Backhaus and Lake's RBI groundout scored Sandoval. Tamara Lozoya's two-out RBI single in the fourth scored Brooke Backhaus to give the Dragons a 3-0 lead.
Murray State, the NJCAA Division II national runner-up, rallied with a four-run sixth inning, collecting four hits in the inning. The Dragons were a strike away from a win, but Aggie first baseman Gloria Lute hit a two-out, two-run single to give Murray State a 4-3 lead.
Lake (1-1) was strong in her first career complete game. She worked six innings and allowed five hits, four runs, two earned runs with six strikeouts and only one walk. She retired 14 of the first 17 batters she faced.
Lozoya went 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead Hutchinson's six-hit attack. All six hits were singles and 4 of the six hits were infield singles. Bailey Backhaus, Sandoval, Darnell and Brooke Backhaus had the other Blue Dragon hits.
GAME 2 RECAP – Murray State 6, Hutchinson 4
The Blue Dragons took a quick 1-0 lead on Alexis Mastin's sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning. Murray State took charge with three runs in the bottom of the first and three more in the bottom of the fourth to build a 6-1 lead.
Hutchinson climbed back in the game with a three-run fifth inning. Korri Lies started the inning with a bases-loaded RBI single. Lozoya had an RBI single to left and Sandoval drew a bases-loaded walk to pull within 6-4.
The Blue Dragons out-hit Murray State 13-10, but left a season-high 15 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the second, fifth and seventh innings.
Bailey Backhaus, Sandoval, Annie Kealey, Darnell, Lies and Lozoya all had two hits each.
Jaala Nowlin (0-1) took the loss, going three-plus innings with six hits and five runs allowed. Delaney Blakesley went 0.2 innings and Morgan Tomlinson pitched the final 2 1-3 innings. The three Blue Dragon pitchers allowed a combined 10 hits.