NEHLS TALLIES 100TH BLUE DRAGON WIN IN SWEEP OVER HIGHLAND
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The No. 17 Hutchinson Community College baseball team swept the Highland Scotties Monday at Hobart-Detter Field, marking head coach Brock Nehls' 100th Blue Dragon victory in the game one run-rule win.
Hutchinson won game one 22-0 and game two 12-2, both in five innings.
The Blue Dragons play Northeast Community College tomorrow Tuesday, Feb. 24 in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Hobart-Detter Field.
Sophomore Finn Hochstein hit two home runs in back-to-back plate appearances in game one. Hochstein hit a two-run homer in the second inning and a solo shot in the third, which followed a lead-off home run by Eli Duncan.
Game 1 – Hutchinson 22, Highland 0 (5 innings)
Hutchinson totaled 16 hits in the game one 22-0 run-rule over Highland. The Blue Dragons scored seven runs in the second inning and eight runs in the third to break open the scoring.
Eli Duncan reached on a throwing error to first base, which gave the green light to Cru Huenfeld and Diesel Purnell to score and give the Blue Dragons an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Hochstein's two-run home run made it 4-0.
Jackson Schanuel SAC-flied to left field and scored Aiden Marien. Then, Huenfeld hit a line-drive RBI double.
After lead-off homers by Duncan and Hochstein, Marien RBI singled to score Ty Wilson to make it a 10-0 game. With the bases loaded, Schanuel and Max Flowers were hit by the pitch and walked to score a pair of runs. Pinch hitting, Austin Crawford sent a drive to left field to score a run. Ensuing the hit, Duncan was walked and Tyson Vassart was hit by a pitch to make it 15-0 in the third.
Marien went 3-for-3 at the plate with three singles and an RBI. Duncan was 2-for-4 a double, home run and six RBIs. Huenfeld batted 2-for-2 with a single and double and a pair of RBIs.
The Blue Dragons piled on in the bottom of the fourth with a Duncan two-run double. Nick Glantz hit his first home run of the season with a grand slam to make it 22-0. Glantz went 1-for-2 in his pinch-hitting effort.
The Blue Dragon pitching staff combined for a three-hit game. Karter Chamberlain started and pitched the first inning, striking out a pair. Wes Lyerly – who pitched in the second inning and threw 19 pitches, allowed one hit and struck out a pair – earned the win in the bullpen game. Seth Ainsworth pitched the third inning and threw just 15 pitches on four batters faced, allowed one hit and no runs.
Game 2 – Hutchinson 12, Highland 2 (5 innings)
Anthony Mazza hit his fourth home run of the year with a lead-off solo home run in the bottom of the third inning to give the Blue Dragons a 3-0 lead early. Aiden Marien hit hits first home run of the season with a three-run dinger in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Mazza went 2-for-4 in game two and also had a double. Marien was 1-for-3 and had three RBIs.
Kuhnau had three stolen bases. Max Flowers had three RBIs.
Jeffrey Neill enter the game for starter Merek Yeager in the second inning. Neill went 4 four innings, allowed two hits and two runs and struck out two batters. Yeager, in one inning of work, gave up two hits
Hochstein continued his day reaching third base on an error on a pop fly to shallow right field, scoring Duncan to get on the board 1-0. Max Flowers grounded out on the next at-bat to score Hochstein and make it 2-0 after two innings.
Highland got on the board for the first time of the doubleheader in the second inning with an RBI double to cut the Hutchinson lead in half 2-1.
In the bottom of the third, Jordan Kuhnau scored a run on a successful stolen base by Huenfeld to make it 4-1 Blue Dragons. Then, Huenfeld stole home after Diesel Purnell hit a double and it looked like the play was over and extended the Hutchinson lead to 5-1. After a stolen base by Hochstein, Purnell advanced from third and touched home plate to make it 6-1.
Kuhnau scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth to put the Dragons up 7-1. With two outs and the bases loaded, Flowers hit an infield popup that dropped for a two-run single to make it a 9-1 lead. Marien's three-run home run made the gap bigger 12-1.
Following Tuesday's doubleheader against Northeast, the Blue Dragons wrap up non-conference play with a four-game series beginning Thursday, Feb. 26 with a doubleheader at Coffeyville before hosting the Red Ravens Saturday, Feb. 28 to conclude the series.