DRAGONS WIN RECORD-SETTING SLUGFEST WITH NIACC
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Multiple single-game records – both good and bad fell – as the Hutchinson Community College baseball team defeated North Iowa Area Community College won a monumental offensive duel with North Iowa Area Community College on Wednesday at Hobart-Deter Field.
The Blue Dragons won their fourth-straight game and set a new single-game scoring record in a 28-24 victory over the Trojans. Hutchinson improved to 11-8 overall and NIACC dropped its fifth in a row and falls to 6-11.
The Blue Dragon broke the team scoring record set just last season when they scored 26 at Cloud County on March 19, 2017. Hutchinson also set team a team record for runs batted in with 25, also set in that 2017 Cloud County game.
Hutchinson hit six home runs in the game, which tied for the second most in team single-game history. The last time the Dragons hit six homers in a game was March 19, 2017 at Seward County. Hutchinson's 22 hits vs. NIACC tied for the second most with three other teams in program history.
NIACC set an opponent record for most runs scored against the Blue Dragons. The old record was 20 set last season by Butler at Hobart-Detter Field. The Trojans hit nine home runs on Wednesday, the most by an opposing team. The 20 runs allowed were the third-most allowed in Blue Dragon history.
The 52 combined runs, 42 combined hits and 15 combined home runs were also single-game records.
Freshman Riley Metzger led Hutchinson's offensive onslaught by going 3 for 6 with two home runs, a double, three runs scored and six RBIs. That tied six others for the fifth-most RBIs in a single game. The last Blue Dragon with six RBIs was Caden Doga against Garden City in 2016. Metzger had a two-run double in the first inning, a solo homer in the fourth and a three-run clout in Hutch's six-run sixth.
Freshman Logan Sartori tied an individual single-game record with four runs scored. He is the 12th player in team history to score four runs in a game, the first since Cole Donaldson in 2016 against Independence. Sartori tied a season high for hits going 4 for 6 with three singles, a homer, four runs and four RBIs.
Freshman Dylan Nedved also tied a season high with four hits in a single-game-record-tying seven at-bats. Nedved had his first triple of the year with three runs scored and one RBI. Zion Bowlin was 3 for 5 with three singles. Brock Schaffer went 3 for 6 with a double, home run, three runs and three RBIs. Zach Baxley went 2 for 3 with a two-run triple.
Julian Rip added a three-run home run in the first inning and Ryan Stoecklein hit a two-run home run in the second inning. Stoecklein had a career-high three RBIs, also getting a bases-loaded walk in the second inning.
The Blue Dragons used seven pitchers in the game. Ryan Junker (1-1) was credited with the victory going a season-long 3 2-3 innings.
Hutchinson had to rally from two different seven-run deficits on Wednesday.
NIACC hit four homers and scored seven runs in the top of the first inning. The Blue Dragons immediately answered with a seven-run first inning. Metzger had a two-run double. Rip hit a three-run home run and Schaffer went back to back to tie the game at 7-all after one inning.
The Trojans tacked on a second-straight seven-run inning with four more homers to take a 14-7 lead. Again the Dragons answered back with an 11-run second inning. That tied for the third-largest single inning in team history. The Dragons went 15 batters to the plate. Sartori led off with a homer. Stoecklein added a two-run homer. Eleven-straight Dragons reached base after the first out was recorded. Baxley added a two-run triple and the Dragons capped off the inning with a bases-loaded walk to Stoecklein to give the Dragon an 18-14 lead after two inning.
Metzger's solo homer led off a three-run fourth inning for Hutchinson. His three-run home run to center in the second broke the old single-game record with Hutch's 25th, 26th and 27th runs of the game.
The Blue Dragons play host to Butler at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field in a Jayhawk West doubleheader.