SKILLMAN, PHILBIN, RUSHING COMBINE FOR 1-HIT SHUTOUT
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Three pitchers combined for a one-hit shutout as the Hutchinson Community College baseball team opened a four-game series with a doubleheader sweep of the Sterling College Junior Varsity on Wednesday at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Blue Dragons improved to a season-high nine over .500 with wins of 12-2 in five innings and 7-0. Games 3 and 4 will be at 3 and 5 p.m. on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field.
Hutchinson improves to 22-13 overall.
Brian Skillman, Zach Philbin and Brandon Rushing combined for the one-hit shutout in Game 2. It was Hutchinson's first shutout of the season and the first one-hitter since Feb. 21, 2017 when David Tudhope, Grady Kirkhart, Jose Vasquez and Gage Burns combined on a one-hitter against the Baker University JV.
Skillman (1-0) earned the pitching victory. Skillman struck out a season-high eight and didn't allow a hit. Skillman walked the first two of the third inning and went on to strike out the next three batters.
Philbin worked a 1-2-3 fourth with two strikeouts.
The no-hitters went through one out in the sixth. The hit surrendered by Rushing was quickly erased by an inning-ending Mason Lowe to Zach Baxley inning-ending double play. Rushing struck out two and allowed one hit in two innings.
Baxley's leadoff home run in the second opened the scoring. The Dragons exploded for five runs in the third. Jeremiah Ceasar hit an RBI triple. Zane Schmidt followed with an RBI double and Baxley got his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly. Lowe then smacked a two-run single to center to give Hutch a 6-0 lead after three innings.
Hutchinson closed out the scoring with a Schmidt sacrifice fly to score Ceasar in the fifth.
Baxley, Schmidt and Lowe drove in two runs each to lead the Blue Dragons offensively. Baxley had the only multi-hit game, going 2 for 2 with a run scored. Schmidt and Conor Craig both had doubles.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Dragons had multiple-run innings in 4 of their 5 at-bats in the opener.
Leading 3-1 through two innings, Will Reetz launched a long three-run home run to break the game open in the bottom of the third.
The Dragons added four runs in the fourth, getting RBI hits from Ryan Moritz and Ethan White. The game ended on a pair of Sterling errors that allowed a pair of runs for a 12-2 victory.
Moritz tied a career high with a three-hit game. Moritz was 3 for 3 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Skillman came off the bench to go 2 for 2. Reetz drove in three runs. Logan Sartori, Schmidt, Skillman, Moritz and White all had doubles.
Mike Brown improved to 3-0 with a complete-game victory. Brown allowed four hits, two earned runs and four walks, but struck out seven. He also hit a batter and had two wild pitches.