DRAGONS RALLY TO EARN DH SPLIT AT CLOUD COUNTY

Will Edmunson hits two homers, including a two-run go-ahead blast in the 10th inning of Hutchinson's Game 2 5-3 win over Cloud County on Saturday in Concordia. (Andrew Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

April 9, 2023

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

CONCORDIA – Ryan Henderson hit a game-tying solo home run in the seventh and Will Edmunson later followed with a go-ahead two-run blast in the 10th inning to power the Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a critical 5-3 victory in the Jayhawk West series finale on Saturday at Cloud County.

The Thunderbirds won the series with a 10-4 victory in the first game at Doyen Field on Saturday. The Blue Dragons avoided a four-game sweep, rallying from a 3-0 deficit after five innings.

The Blue Dragons are now 19-18 overall and 10-10 in the Jayhawk West. Cloud County is now 20-15 overall and 9-7 in the league. The Blue Dragons travel to NOC-Tonkawa on Tuesday and will play Cowley in a four-game weekend series beginning on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field.

GAME 2 RECAP
Edmunson was 2 for 5 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons in the series finale.

The Blue Dragon right fielder and Jayhawk West's leading hitter hit a two-run home run to left field to get the Dragons on the board and cut the Cloud County lead to 3-2.

The Dragons then tied the game as Henderson led off the seventh inning with a home-run to left-center field and knot the game at 3-all.

With two-out in the 10th inning, Colin Cymbalista singled and then scored on Edmunson's two-run go-ahead home run to center field to give the Dragons a 5-3 lead.

Sophomore Brady Beverman (1-1) tossed two shutout innings to earn his first victory of the season. He worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10th, but had a tremendous defensive play on Jon Davis' diving catch for the second out of the inning.

Beverman struck out two and didn't allow a run, hit or walk in his two innings.

The Blue Dragon bullpen combined for five shutout innings and just four hits allowed. Ben Dandelet worked three innings with four hits and no runs surrendered. He struck out two and walked one. Ethan Giesbrecht started and worked the first five innings. He struck out seven and walked three, allowing four hits and three runs.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Cloud County 10-8. Jack Gardner and Christian Powell had two hits each. Cooper Wesslund had a triple.

GAME 1 RECAP
Cymbalista homered twice and Edmunson had a double and triple to lead the Blue Dragons, but Cloud County pounded out 13 hits, including six extra-base hits and three home runs in a seven-run Cloud County fifth inning.

Cymbalista was 2 for 2 with two runs and two RBIs.

Cole Toureau (0-5) suffered the loss going 4 1-3 innings with four strikeouts. He allowed 10 hits and six runs. Kaden Wickersham went one-third of an inning. Jackson Blue tossed 1 1-3 inning.