DRAGONS RALLY TWICE TO EARN DH, SERIES SWEEP OF BOBCATS
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
BEATRICE, Nebraska – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team had two late-game offensive explosions to rally from three different one-run deficits as the Blue Dragons completed a four-game sweep of the Southeast (Nebraska) Bobcats on Friday at Christenson Field.
The Blue Dragons used a six-run seventh inning to break a tie after trailing twice for a 9-3 victory in the opening game on Friday. Hutchinson then trailed 1-0 after five innings and scored four runs in each of its final three at-bats to earn an eight-inning run-rule 12-2 victory over the Bobcats.
The Blue Dragons completed a four-game sweep of the Bobcats – Hutchinson won the first two games 8-6 and 11-1 eight days earlier in Buhler. The Blue Dragons improve to 5-0, the first 5-0 start to a season since 2014.
The Blue Dragons play a three-game series against Rose State next Friday and Saturday in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 9, Southeast 3
The Dragons rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 – due in part of two sole home runs by Southeast's Kohle Kerin, who drove in all three Bobcat runs. Kerin's two-run homer in the fifth gave Southeast a 3-2 lead.
The Dragons tied the game in the sixth on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch by Jordan Tucker scored Tyson Vassart with the game-tying run.
Hutchinson took the lead in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to Luis Pimentel-Guerrero. The Dragons then broke the game open with Cooper Wesslund's two run single and Blake Bradford's three-run home run to camp a sixth-run seventh inning.
Cole Toureau (1-0) pitched two perfect innings in relief to earn his first career win as a Blue Dragon. Toureau had three strikeouts.
The Blue Dragons had eight total hits led by Bradford's 2 for 4 game with a run scored and four RBis.
Wesslund was 1 for 3 with two RBIs. Quinn Maher also went 2 for 3 with a walk and run scored.
The Dragons cashed in one five hit batsmen, six walks and three Bobcat wild pitches.
Ethan Giesbrecht started and struck out six in four innings. Giesbrecht gave up two hits and one run.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 12, Southeast 2
The trend of capitalizing on Bobcat mistakes continued in the series finale.
Eight Southeast pitchers combined for 12 walks, two more hit batters and five wild pitches in the second game. The Dragons had a season-low eight hits in Game 2.
The Blue Dragons tied the game and took the lead on wild pitches that plated Colin Cymbalista and Mayer. Pimental-Guerrero had an RBI groundout and Bradford delivers an RBI single to give the Dragons a 4-1 lead after six innings.
Pimentel-Guerrero had a two-run double in the seventh for an 8-2 lead. Wesslund's two-run double in the eighth gave Hutchinson a 12-2 lead.
Wesslund had a single-game career-high three RBIs after going 2 for 3 with a double, walk and stolen base.
Pimentel-Guerrero also had a career-high three RBis, going 1 for 2 after entering the game in the sixth inning.
The 12 walks issued to the Blue Dragons tied for the fourth-most walks in Blue Dragon single-game history.
Bradley Neill (1-0) earned his first win of the season with three strong innings of relief. He struck out a career-best six and allowed only one hit.
Five Blue Dragon pitchers limited the Bobcats to six hits and combined for 13 strikeouts in Game 2. Southeast had nine total hits for the doubleheader.