DRAGONS FALL TO BUTLER IN BATTLE OF TOP 2 SEEDS

Shortstop Bailey Backhaus drops a tag to get a Butler runner trying to steal second on Saturday in the winners' bracket final of the Region VI Tournament in Dodge City. The Dragons lost the game 5-0. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
Shortstop Bailey Backhaus drops a tag to get a Butler runner trying to steal second on Saturday in the winners' bracket final of the Region VI Tournament in Dodge City. The Dragons lost the game 5-0. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

DODGE CITY – Held to five hits or less in a game for just the third time this season, the second-seeded Hutchinson Community College softball team fell to the losers' bracket of the 2024 Region VI Tournament on Saturday at Legends Park.

Top-seeded Butler scored all five runs with two out and defeated Hutchinson 5-0 in the winners' bracket final on Saturday.

Hutchinson (43-10) will now play Barton in the loser's bracket final at Noon on Sunday for the right to play Butler in Sunday's 2 p.m. championship game. The if necessary game would be at Noon on Monday.

BLUE DRAGON SOFTBALL
Hutchinson vs. Barton - Region VI Tournament Loser's Bracket Final
When: Sunday, May 5, 2024
Where: Legends Park, Dodge City, KS
Time: Noon
Video: KJCCC Network (pay-per-view)
X: @bluedragonsport
Winner takes on Butler in Region 6 Championship game at 2 p.m.


Butler did most of its damage against the Blue Dragons with two outs on Saturday. The Grizzlies (47-8) were 5 for 11 in two-out situations. The Blue Dragons were just 2 for 10. The Dragons also had 11 flyball outs against the Grizzlies.

Butler scored two runs in the first and third innings to put the Dragons in an early 4-0 hole. The Grizzlies tacked on an insurance run in the fifth inning.

The Blue Dragons were out-hit for just the sixth time this season.

Alexis Mastin was 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and was on base all three times, reaching on an error in the fourth inning.

Bailey Backhaus, Madi Divis and Korri Lies – She is now 7 for 9 in the first three games of the tournament – all had singles.

Butler shortstop Aly Hageman went 2 for 2 with two doubles and three RBIs to lead Butler.

Morgan Tomlinson (15-2) suffered the loss for the Blue Dragons. She worked the first 2 2-3 innings and allowed five hits, four runs, three earned runs and two walks with two strikeouts. Dakota Lake worked the final 3 1-3 innings with six strikeouts and four walks allowed.