BATS WAKE UP AS DRAGONS STAY ALIVE IN WICHITA

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

WICHITA – Hitting just .255 in four postseason games, the Hutchinson Community College baseball team needed the bats to wake up facing elimination in the Region VI/Central District Baseball Tournament on Saturday at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The alarm clock rang in the Blue Dragon dugout as Hutchinson pounded out a postseason-high 18 hits in a 20-3 elimination game victory over Neosho County.

Now 37-21, the Blue Dragons advance to the second-round of elimination play to meet Jayhawk West rival Seward County at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Now 3-0 in elimination games this season, if Hutchinson defeats Seward County, the Dragons play again at 7 p.m. on Sunday against the Johnson County-Kansas City winner.

Sophomore Brock Schaffer had a career-high six RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Scott Wolverton and Ryan Moritz had four RBIs each and Logan Sartori added three RBIs to back the strong pitching effort of sophomore Wyatt Divis (5-1).

Leading 4-0 through six innings, the Blue Dragon lead was trimmed to one after the Panthers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh. The Blue Dragons responded with three runs in the eighth and 13 runs in the ninth.

That 13-run inning tied for the second-largest single inning in Blue Dragon history, matching a 13-run inning against Independence in 2016. The first 11 Blue Dragons reached base before the first out was recorded. Schaffer delivered a three-run double to right-center to give him his career-high six RBIS. Later, Moritz added a three-run home run to left center. The Blue Dragons scored 13 runs on six hits.

The Blue Dragons 20 runs in a game for the fifth time this season.

The first three innings produced a scoreless tie before the Blue Dragons took their first lead in Wichita. With two out in the fourth inning, Wolverton hit a two-run single to center field for a 2-0 lead. In the fifth, Schaffer led off the inning with a solo home run. In the sixth, Schaffer had a two-out RBI double to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead through six innings.

Six of Hutchinson's first seven runs all came with two out. The Dragons were 6 for 13 with nine two-out RBIs against Neosho County.

Divis pitched six strong innings, retiring eight in a row in one stretch. The Panthers got to Divis in the seventh for three runs. Divis, who won his second postseason game this season, went 6 1-3 innings with five hits, three earned runs and three walks. Divis tallied six strikeouts. Dayden Lane worked 1 2-3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen with a hit allowed and two strikeouts. Matt Hopkins worked a scoreless ninth to close out the victory.

Schaffer tied a career-high with four hits and three runs scored in six at-backs. Schaffer had two doubles and his sixth home run of the year. Schaffer's six RBI tied for the fifth most in single-game history. He is the ninth Dragon with six RBIs in a game and the 13th with six or more RBIs in a game.

Moritz tied a career high with four RBIs and tied a career high going 3 for 5 with his second home run of the year. Dylan Nedved was 3 for 5 with three runs scored. Sartori was 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBIs.