ROEHLER, MAHER, HERRMANN LEAD DRAGONS TO SERIES SWEEP
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Sophomore starting pitcher Trenton Roehler tossed seven strong innings and sophomores Quinn Maher and Jarrett Herrmann drove in three runs each to pace the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons to a series sweep.
The Blue Dragons defeated Allen 7-3 on Thursday in Game 2 of the Plains District (Region 6) Tournament opening-round best-of-3 series at Hobart-Detter Field, completing a series sweep of the Red Devils.
Fifth-seeded Hutchinson (39-19) advances to the Plains District Tournament to face fourth-seed Cowley at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dean Evans Stadium in Salina in the opening round of that eight-team, double-elimination tournament.
Hutchinson is now 12-4 in best-of-3 opening-round series since Region 6 went to this format in 2004. The Blue Dragons also extended their winning streak of Allen to 22 games – that streak dates back to the opening game of the 1995 season. The Blue Dragons are now 8-0 against Allen in Region 6 Tournament matchups dating back to 2005.
Roehler (6-3) won his third-straight start with a with a season- and career-long seven innings on Thursday. Roehler struck out six and allowed four hits, two runs and one walk.
After a rocky second inning where he gave up two runs, one scoring on a Blue Dragon error to give Allen a 2-1 lead, Roehler was facing runners and first and second with one out in the third. He got an infield fly and strikeout to get out of the inning.
From that point, Roehler dominated the Red Devils, retiring the final 14 Allen batters he faced.
Colin Flores and Seth Ainsworth pitched the eighth and ninth innings to close out the game.
Maher went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons' nine-hit attack. Maher gave the Blue Dragons a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when he drove in A.J. Mustow with a two-out double for a 1-0 lead. Then tied at 2-2 in the fifth with bases empty and two, the Dragons got a break when Mustow's high fly to left-center was dropped and he wound up at third base. One pitch later, Maher launched a go-ahead two-run home run for a 4-2 lead.
Herrmann was 2 for 4 for the Dragons with three RBIs. Trailing 2-1 in the second, Herrmann hit an opposite-field single through the left side of the infield to score Leo Griffin, tying the game at 2-2. Then in the sixth, Herrmann tripled in two runs to right field and then scored on a Cael Hamrick sacrifice fly for a 7-2 Hutchinson lead.
Mustow doubled in the first to extend his hitting streak to six games. C.J. Reid, Griffin, Scotty Fegen and Hamrick all had base hits.
GAME NOTES – Head coach Brock Nehls won his 90th game with the Blue Dragons, which is the most wins by a Blue Dragon head coach in his first two seasons with the program. … The Dragons are now 25-14 in games played in opening-round best-of-3 Region 6 Tournament series. This is their seventh series sweep.