DRAGONS TAKES SERIES WITH STORM AFTER DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT

Blue Dragon freshman Blake Bradford went 10 for 13 in a four-game series with Southeast Nebraska this weekend. The Dragons and Storm split games on Monday in Beatrice, Nebraska. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

February 13, 2023

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

BEATRICE, Nebraska – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team earned its first series victory of the season after splitting Games 3 and 4 of the season-opening series with Southeast Community College on Monday at Christensen Field.

Will Edmundson continued his torrid start with a pair of twos and freshman Max Childress drove in three runs as Hutchinson defeated the Storm 8-4 in the first game on Monday. The Blue Dragons had 10 hits, but stranded 14 base runners in a 5-4 loss in the series finale.

The Blue Dragons are 3-1 after the opening weekend. The Blue Dragons travel to Texas this weekend for three games against Temple, Hill and McLennan.

GAME 1 RECAP
Freshman Gus McKay earned a victory in his first career start, working four-plus innings in the first game on Monday. McKay allowed four hits and one earned run with three strikeouts and two walks. He threw three shutout innings in the first three innings. After retiring the first two batters of the fourth inning, McKay allowed a two-out walk and run-scoring double.

Jackson Blue and Brady Beverman combined to pitch the final three innings.

Offensively, Brady Bradford went 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Bradford is also off to a fast start to the season. He went 10 for 13 with two doubles and an .842 on-base percentage in the series.

Childress was 3 for 4 with three RBIs.

Edmundson went 2 for 5 with a double and RBI. The sophomore left-fielder was 11 for 17 with a double, home run, six RBIs and three stolen bases in the series.

Ryan Henderson and Cody Gunderson had two hits each.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Southeast 14-7.

GAME 2 RECAP
Bradford, Edmunson and Childress had two hits each to pace Hutchinson's 10-hit attack. The Dragons also cashed in on five walks, two hit batters and two Storm errors.

The Dragons scored single runs in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings. Hutchinson stranded 14 runners on base.

Tied at 3-all through four innings, the Blue Dragons took a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Bradford led off with a double and scored on a Storm error off the bat of Henderson. The Storm scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead after a pair of leadoff walks both scored in the inning.

The Dragons stranded three runs in the eighth and ninth innings combined.

Kaden Wickersham, Cole Toureau and Sam Ojeda combined to strike out 13 Storm batters. Toureau (0-1) struck out nine in his four innings of relief work.