DRAGONS FINISH SERIES SWEEP WITH GARDEN CITY
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College baseball team's trek to a series sweep of the Garden City Broncbusters had two very different roads on Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field.
Freshman starter Ethan Giesbrecht twirled a five-hit complete-game shutout in Game 1, a 3-0 Blue Dragon victory. A seemingly quiet ninth inning in Game 2 turned into nothing resembling quiet as the Blue Dragons cut down the game-tying run at third base for the final out of a 7-6 Hutchinson victory.
The Blue Dragons match a season-high five-game winning streak and are 25-22 overall, 14-10 in the Jayhawk West after their second series sweep of the league season. The Blue Dragons travel to the Sterling College JV for a pair of seven-inning games on Monday. Garden City, dropped its 13th and 14th consecutively games and fell to 7-41 overall and 3-25 in the Jayhawk West.
GAME 1 RECAP
Giesbrecht (3-2) threw his second complete game of the season and authored the first complete-game shutout of 2023 in Game 1.
The Blue Dragon freshman right-hander scattered five hits and had three strikeouts and three walks.
Giesbrecht worked out of two jams in his complete-game performance.
Garden City loaded the bases with one out in the third and worked out of that spot unscathed with a fielder's choice out at the plate and a flyout to center field.
Then after Giesbrecht retired the first two batters of the fourth, Connor Thompson reached on an error. He then tried to score from first on a double to left by P.J. Alvarez, but A.J. Mustow combined with Christian Powell for a perfect relay and Dragon catcher Jackson Young tagged Thompson out well short of home plate to keep the game scoreless.
The Blue Dragons finally broke through with three runs in the fifth inning.
Loading the bases with no outs after an infield single, Garden City error and hit batter, Powell scored the game's first run on a wild pitch. Mustow then singled to center to score Will Edmunson and Cody Gunderson to make it 3-0.
The Dragons were limited to three hits in the first game. Mustow was 2 for 3 with two runs driven in.
GAME 2 RECAP
Hutchinson had leads of 3-0, 5-3 and 7-5, but the Busters never relented.
The Dragons seemingly had things finally under control after Ryan Henderson doubled home Gunderson with the go-ahead run and later scored on a wild pitch in the eighth inning for a 7-5 Blue Dragon lead.
After six strong relief innings from Michael Uhler, Brady Beverman came in to seal the deal. With two out and no runners on, a Dragon throwing error opened the door. Quinn Gundelfinger then followed with a double to the right-center field game that scored Ryan Cherry to pull Garden City within one run. Gundelfinger decided to stretch a double into a triple, but the relay from Edmunson to Max Childress to third baseman Jack Gardner at third cut down Gundelfinger for the final out of the game.
Uhler (2-1) had his best performance as a Blue Dragon with six strong innings of relief. The Blue Dragon sophomore allowed three hits – two were infield singles – and two unearned runs. He struck out four and walked none. Beverman converted his fourth save of the season.
The Dragons opened with three runs in the first inning on a Blake Bradford leadoff home run and a two-run Mustow single.
After Garden City tied the game at 3-all in the second, the Dragons took the lead right back with Gunderson's seven home run of the season, a solo shot in the bottom of the second for a 4-3 lead. Hutchinson added another run for a 5-3 lead in the third when Bradford singled home Young.
The Dragons rapped out 11 total hits in the series finale. Edmunson produced his 26th multi-hit game of the season, going 3 for 5
Bradford, Gunderson and Mustow all had two hits each.