Luke Naccarato hit a walkoff single to defeat Allen County 5-4 in the opening round of the Region VI Tournament on Friday, May 13, 2005 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita.

Region Tournament Opening Round
Hutchinson 5, Allen County 4
May 13, 2005 - Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, Wichita

NACCARATO WALK-OFF
GETS DRAGONS GOING
IN REGION VI

CLICK FOR BOXSCORE

WICHITA - In a game that started on May 13 and finished on May 14, 2005, Luke Naccarato’s walk off single helped the Hutchinson Community College baseball team advance into the winner’s bracket of the 2005 Region VI Baseball Tournament at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita.

The Blue Dragons emerged victorious after Naccarato’s ninth-inning single scored Thad Weber to give the Blue Dragons a 5-4 win over Allen County in the final opening-round game of the tournament.

Rain hampered play all day long, but the grounds crew kept the turf field playable. Hutchinson's 7 p.m. start turned into an 11 p.m. start with the final run being scored just before 1:45 a.m. on Saturday morning.

Hutchinson's Jason Banks pitched eight strong innings, striking out six batters and surrendering only three earned runs before giving way to Adam Cornejo in the ninth with the score tied 4-4. Cornejo worked a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out one batter and getting two ground ball outs.

In the ninth, Hutchinson's Weber took the first pitch from Wyatt Luebber and slapped a single up the middle. Hutchinson's Lindy Wray then flied out but it was not deep enough for Weber to advance.

Ryan Whiteley failed to make contact on a hit and run play but Weber slid safely into second with a stolen base. Whiteley was then intentionally walked to bring up Naccarato.

Naccarato singled up the middle and Weber never stopped running from second, sliding across the plate just before the tag and for the winning run.

Cornejo was credited with the victory, his fifth of the season and first of the postseason.

The Dragon offense struggled through the first eight innings.  Hutchinson scored two runs with two outs in the second on a routine infield popup that was dropped by Red Devil third baseman Lance Kasitz.

Hutchinson then added two more runs in the bottom half of the fifth when Allen County starter Darrel Dinger walked and hit the bases loaded. Naccarato earned his first RBI of the day after being hit in the back to score Andrew Prignitz. Noah Krol scored in the next at bat on a wild pitch.

The Dragons led 4-3 going into the eighth inning but three consecutive hits by Allen County put a run across and tied the game.

Naccarato led the Dragon offense with two RBIs and finished 1 for 4. Torey Williams was the only Hutchinson player with two hits after going 2 for 4, and Prignitz led the Dragons with two runs scored.