BLUE DRAGONS ROLL TO OPENING DAY SWEEP

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Several Hutchinson Community College Softball players had memorable 2018 Opening Days on Thursday at Fun Valley as the Blue Dragons swept Pratt in a pair of run-rule games of 16-1 and 8-0.

Freshman Kiara DeCrane hit a two-run home run in her first career at-bat and finished with a three-hit, six-RBI game in Game 1. DeCrane finished the day with five hits and eight RBIs.

Sophomore Izzy Godinez collected six hits in her first six at-bats of the season and had five RBIs.

Sophomore Destiny Schulze tossed her first career shutout in Game 2.

Freshman Shelby Felvus and sophomore transfer Bekah Roberts both doubled in their first at-bats as Blue Dragons.

The Blue Dragons combined for 24 runs and 23 hits with seven extra base hits. Three Blue Dragon pitchers held Pratt to nine hits and only one run.

GAME 1 RECAP
Three batters into the 2018 season, the Blue Dragons led 3-0 – Godinez singled home Ashton Reynolds and then DeCrane hit a line-drive home run to left field.

The offense rolled from there in a 16-hit performance that saw four Blue Dragons get multiple hits and three Dragons drive in multiple runs. The Blue Dragons scored multiple runs in each of their four at-bats. Eight of 9 Blue Dragon batters had at least one hit.

Hutchinson's top three hitters – Reynolds, Godinez and DeCrane, combined to go 10 for 12 with 10 RBIs and nine runs scored.

Godinez went 4 for 4 with a double, four runs scored and three RBIs. Godinez had the second four-hit game of her Blue Dragon career.

DeCrane had three-straight two-run hits in her first three at-bats – a homer and two singles – to finish 3 for 4 with six RBIs. DeCrane tied for the sixth-most RBIs in Blue Dragon modern day history.

Reynolds was 3 for 4 with a double, three runs and an RBI. Roberts was 2 for 3 with a double and, two runs and three RBIs.

Blue Dragon sophomore pitcher D.J. Cannon won her 19th career game and reached 200 career strikeouts in her first outing of 2018. Cannon, who had a streak of 10 batters retired in a row. Working the first four innings, Cannon struck out six and allowed four hits, no runs and no walks.

GAME 2 RECAP
Schulze battled her own control to complete her second career game and toss her first career shutout on Thursday.

Schulze had to work out of two bases-loaded jams and allowed three leadoff walks, but worked out of every jam without allowing a run.

Hutchinson's defense helped out with a double play started by Godinez and catcher Kameron Pope threw out a Beaver baserunner trying to advance on a would-be wild pitch.

Schulze ad a career-high four strikeouts against a career-high six walks issued. She allowed only four singles.

Hutch gave Schulze some early run support as Godinez scored on a throwing error and Pope drove DeCrane home.

Leading 3-0, the Blue Dragons broke the game open in the fourth with a Godinez RBI single and a two-run double by DeCrane, who came all the way around to score on another Pratt error.

The game ended when Felvus singled home pinch runner Bre Johnson with the eighth run to reach the run-rule.

Godinez and DeCrane had two hits each in Game 2. Both had two RBIS. The Blue Dragons had seven hits in Game 2.

Hutchinson concludes its season-opening homestand with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Colby on Monday at Fun Valley.