DRAGONS WALK OFF TO CLAIM SERIES WIN OVER SAINTS

Jenner Steele hits three home runs on Saturday to help Hutchinson to a doubleheader split at Hobart-Detter Field and a series victory over Seward County. (Dylan Shah/HCC Collegian)

March 20, 2021

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Will Reetz dropped a single to shallow right field to score Mason Lowe for a walk-off victory on Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field, giving the Hutchinson Community College baseball team a second-straight Jayhawk West series victory.

Reetz's walk-off hit gave the Blue Dragons a 7-6 victory over the Saints in the series finale. Seward County won the first game on Saturday 11-7. The Dragons won the series 3-1 after winning a pair in Liberal on Friday.

The Blue Dragons are now 11-7 overall and are in first place in the Jayhawk West at 6-2. The Saints are 6-12 overall and 3-5 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons play host to Redlands in a pair of seven innings games on Tuesday at Hobart-Detter Field.

GAME 2 RECAP
Hutchinson had leads of 4-3 and 6-4 late in the final game of the series. Seward County rallied to tie the game twice to tie the game at 4-4 and 6-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth.

The Blue Dragons loaded the bases with no outs on a Sterling Sutcliffe single, an error off the bat of Jack Torosian and a Lowe walk. Both Austin Callahan and Jenner Steele had hard-hit balls, but right at infielders for force outs at home. Then Reetz hit his walk-off with a hit to shallow right field for the game winner.

Steele capped a huge series against the Saints by going 3 for 6 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons in Game 4. Steele's fourth home run of the series led off the fifth with a solo and game-tying home run. For the series, Steele went 7 for 17 with eight RBIs.

Callahan went 3 for 6 with a pair of doubles with two runs scored and an RBI. Daniel Bebee and Sutcliffe had two hits each.

Caden Pogue was the winning pitcher for the Blue Dragons. He worked the final two innings with three strikeouts. He allowed three hits and three runs allowed. Josh Mitchell threw four shutout innings out of the bullpen. He allowed three hits and a walk while strikeout out three.

GAME 1 RECAP
Seward County took advantage of nine Blue Dragon walks and hit a pair of home runs as the Saints built a nine-run lead before holding on for a four-run victory, Seward's first of the series.

The Saints had nine hits off three Blue Dragon pitchers. Kase Johnson and Braden Boisvert both homered as Hutchinson lead 11-2 after 5 1/2 innings.

The Blue Dragons tried to make a big comeback. Steele hit a two-run home run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 11-4. Lowe had a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth and Steele hit his second of the game to make it 11-7.

Hutchinson had nine hits in Game 1 led by Torosian's three runs. He had a single, two triples – the seventh Blue Dragon to hit two triples in a single game – with two runs and an RBI. Lowe was 2 for 4 with three RBIs. Steele was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.