DRAGONS OUST COUGARS TO REACH 40-WIN MARK
Blue Dragon Sports Information
SALINA – Anthony Mazza drove in a career-best five runs to help the Hutchinson Community College baseball team stay alive in the Plains District Baseball Tournament on Wednesday.
No. 5-seed Hutchinson eliminated top-seed Barton 9-1 in seven innings in a first-round elimination game at Dean Evans Stadium.
The Blue Dragons move onto a second-round elimination game in the eight-team double-elimination tournament to play No. 6-seed Kansas City (38-21) at 10 a.m. on Thursday. Should the Blue Dragons play against Kansas City, they would play again at 7 p.m. on Thursday in a third-round elimination game against the Cloud County/Coffeyville winner.
BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL
No. 5 Hutchinson (40-20) vs. No. 6 Kansas City (38-21)
Plains District Tournament – 2nd-round elimination
When: Thursday, May 14, 2025
Where: Dean Evans Stadium, Salina, KS
Time: 10 a.m.
Video: KJCCC Network, 9:55 a.m.
X: @bluedragonsport
CLICK FOR LIVE STATS
The Blue Dragons (40-20) reached the 40-win plateau for the second-straight season and for the 11th time in program history.
Mazza went 3 for 5 with a double, home run and a career single-game high five RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons on Wednesday. He also scored a pair of runs.
After a two-hit game in the opening round against Cowley, Mazza got the Blue Dragons going early with a two-run home run in the first inning. Mazza added a single in the third and then came up with the bases loaded in the fourth. Mazza ripped a three-run double as part of a five-run inning to build an 8-0 lead.
That double was Mazza's 27th of the season, which tied Thad Weber (2006) for the Blue Dragon single-season record for doubles. Mazza now has 87 hits for the season, which ties Cooper Wesslund (2024) for seventh on the single-season hits list.
The Blue Dragons out-hit the Cougars 11-4 on Wednesday.
Leo Griffin went 2 for 3 with two runs and a stolen base. Cael Hamrick was 2 for 4 with a double, run scored and RBI.
A.J. Mustow was 1 for 4 with an RBI double. Scotty Fegen added an RBI single.
Sophomore Trenton Roehler (7-3) worked six innings to earn the pitching victory. Roehler struck out six while allowing only three hits, one earned run and two walks.
With his fifth strikeout of the game in the fifth inning, Roehler moved past Jody Harris (1993-95) into second place on the Blue Dragon career strikeout list with 156 career strikeouts. Now 15-4 in his career, Roehler tied Craig Reed, Shawn Lewick, Kyle Simonds and Ethan Giesbrecht for fifth on the Blue Dragon career list for the fifth-most career wins in Blue Dragon history.
Leading 2-0 entering the fourth, the Blue Dragons broke the game open with a five-run inning. Hamrick singled home Taber Stokes to open the inning. Then with the bases loaded, Mazza hit his bases-loaded double. Mustow then doubled in Mazza with the fifth run of the inning for a 7-0 lead.
The Cougars got their lone run in the bottom of the fourth.
Then in the top of the seventh, Griffin led off the inning with a walk and was moved to second by an Eli Duncan sacrifice bunt. With two out, Hamrick doubled home Griffin with the ninth run to put the Dragons within range of a run-rule win.
The Cougars loaded the bases with two out against Colin Flores, but the Dragon freshman closer induced a game-ending groundout.
GAME NOTES – Head coach Brock Nehls led his second-straight 40-wins season with the Blue Dragons. He ties Kyle Crookes and John Burgi for the second-most 40-win seasons by a Hutchinson head coach.