DRAGONS SET SCORING RECORD IN SWEEP OF BETHEL JV

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

NEWTON – The 13-day layoff that Mother Nature imposed on the Hutchinson Community College Softball team didn't have a huge effect on the Blue Dragon bats on Tuesday.

Led by sophomore Bekah Roberts, hitting in the ninth spot in the batting order, the Blue Dragons went on to break a team record for runs in a game in a 28-6 five-inning victory in the first game of a doubleheader over the Bethel College Junior Varsity at Wedel Park.

It took a big longer for the bats to get going in Game 2, but the Blue Dragons remained unbeaten with a 7-2 victory over the Threshers. The Blue Dragons improve to 6-0 heading into Thursday's and Friday's Oklahoma road trip to the Oklahoma Wesleyan JV and Rose State.

The 28 runs scored in the opening game surpassed the 2014 record of 27 scored against Brown Mackie College. The Blue Dragons racked up 25 total hits, which is the second-most in single-game history, behind only the 30 hits amassed in that same 2014 game against Brown Mackie.

GAME 1 RECAP
The Blue Dragons started the day off with a six-run first inning in their first at-bats since February 14 at Barton. The Dragons then sent 15 batters to the plate in a 10-run third inning and followed that up with five runs in the fourth inning and seven in the fifth inning.

Eight different Blue Dragon players had multi-hit games in the first half led by Roberts, who went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a triple three runs scored and four RBIs.

Leadoff hitter Ashton Reynolds went 3 for 6 with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs. Catcher Kameron Pope was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Shelby Felvus was 3 for 3 with three runs and a pair of RBIs

Izzy Godinez, Maddie Miner, Shelbey Thomas and Brynne Stockman all had two hits. Stockman drove in three runs, while Felvus, D.J. Cannon and Natalie Semmel all drove in two runs each. Thomas doubled, while Miner recorded a triple and Semmel hit her first career home run.

Cannon (3-0), Hutch's starting pitcher, worked three perfect innings to earn the victory. She struck out 7 of the 9 Bethel batters she faced.

Stockman worked the final two innings and allowed four hits, six runs and four walks while striking out one.

GAME 2 RECAP
Hutch fell behind 2-0 after two innings, but tied the game in the third when Raven Bass ripped two-run double to plate Godinez and Kiara DeCrane with the tying runs.

The Dragons took advantage of a Bethel error in the fifth as Reynolds scored a run from that error and Felvus drove in two more runs with single to make it 5-2. Hutch tacked on two more with a RBI single by Stockman and Felvus scoring on an error in the top of the seventh.

That late offense helped Destiny Schulze earn her third pitching victory of the season to improve to 3-0 with a seven-inning complete game. Schulze allowed six hits, two earned runs and a season-low there walks while striking out a career-best nine.

After allowing single runs in the first and second innings, Schulze allowed only four batters in Bethel's final five at-bats. She finished out strong with back-to-back strikeouts in the seven inning to close out the game.

Reynolds and Godinez combined for five of Hutch's 10hits from the first two spots in the batting order. Godinez went 3 for 5 with two runs and Reynolds added two hits – reaching base four times with a pair of walks – in three at-bats.

Felvus had two hits and two RBIs and Bass drove in a pair of runs. Bass and Godinez had the only extra base hits in the second game, both inning doubles.

The Blue Dragons took advantage of five Bethel errors.

The Blue Dragons play at the Oklahoma Wesleyan JV for games at 3 and 5 on Thursday in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.