Hutchinson CC Sports Information
After being held to four hits in Thursday's doubleheader opener against Colby, the Blue Dragon bats woke up in Game 2 to earn a split in the Jayhawk Conference opener on Thursday at Fun Valley.
Colby stunned the No. 17-ranked Blue Dragons 10-5 in Game 1, but Jaeleigh Darnell sparked the Dragons in Game 2 as Hutchinson rolled to a 16-6 run-rule victory in five innings.
The Blue Dragons are now 8-4 overall and 1-1 in the KJCCC. The Dragons play host to Northwest Tech at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday at Fun Valley.
Blue Dragon sophomore third baseman Olivia Sandoval extended her consecutive-game hitting streak to 28 games with single hits in each game on Thursday. She singled through the middle in the seventh inning of Game 1. Sandoval had an infield single in the third inning of Game 2. Sandoval is chasing the record of Lexi Williams, who had hits in 31 consecutive games in 2021.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 16, Colby 6
After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Darnell's second home run of the doubleheader quickly tied the game at 2. The Dragons went on to score six total runs in the first inning and five each in the second and third inning to take charge.
Darnell led the Blue Dragons going 2 for 4 with four RBIs and two walks. She had a two-run home run in the first inning, a bases-loaded walk in the second inning and an RBI infield single in the third inning.
Bailey Backhaus was 3 for 3 with a walk. She also had four RBIs and two runs scored. Backhaus had two-run single in the first, an RBI single in the second and a bases-loaded walk in the third.
Korri Lies tied s career high with three hits with two runs scored and an RBI. Brie Brawner had her first hit as a Blue Dragon. She went 2 for 3 with a pair of run-scoring singles. Brooke Backhaus also drove in two runs.
The Blue Dragons out-hit Colby 14-7 with only two extra-base hits … Darnell's home run in the first inning and Madi Divis' double in the second inning.
The Dragons sent 11 batters to the plate in each of the first three innings.
Dakota Lake (2-1) pitched the final 2 1-3 innings to earn the victory in the pitching circle for the Dragons. She had four strikeouts with one hit one unearned run and two walks allowed. Starter Delaney Blakesley went the first 2 2-3 innings.
GAME 1 RECAP – Colby 10, Hutchinson 5
After Colby scored four runs in the top of the second inning, the Blue Dragons immediately responded. Darnell cranked two-run home run to right-center field after an Annie Kealy walk. The Dragons then caught a break when a dropped pop fly in the infield led to two Hutchinson runs tied the game at 4.
Colby then scored five unanswered runs over the next five innings, which was started by Paige Pierce's three-run home run for a 7-4 Colby lead in the third.
The Blue Dragons had just four hits in Game 1, led by Darnell's 2-for-4 game. Darnell also had a double.
Hutchinson's other hits came from Kealey, who tripled in the third inning and Sandoval's single I the seventh.
Lies (2-1) was the losing pitcher in Game 1. She worked 2 2-3 innings with six hits and seven runs allowed. Morgan Tomlinson and Lake also pitched in Game 1.