Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Jordan Galliher put the Hutchinson Community College softball team on her back in the pitching circle on Friday at Fun Valley.

Galliher struck out 16 Pirates over a combined 12-inning stretch of Friday's Jayhawk Conference doubleheader to earn a pair of pitching victories as Hutchinson remained perfect at home with wins of 9-5 and 5-2 over Independence.

The Blue Dragons improve to 12-6 overall and are 4-0 in the Jayhawk East, winning their eighth- and ninth-consecutive league games dating back to last season. Hutchinson is now 12-0 at Fun Valley in 2021. Hutchinson travels to Garden City for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Independence falls to 6-8 overall and 0-2 in the KJCCC.

Galliher entered the Game 1 with the Blue Dragons trailing 5-2 after Independence scored five in the second off starter Mequella Guajardo. Galliher walked the first batter she faced, but struck out Mikalle Pair to end the five-run Indy uprising.

Galliher absolutely slammed the door on the Pirates, not allowing a baserunner over the final five innings. She retired a career-best 16 in a row – Galliher has a five-inning perfect game on her resume – striking out seven in the game.

Galliher closed out the gem in style by striking out the side in the seventh to end the game.

The scheduled starter in Game 2, Galliher sent the Pirates down in order in the first. She had her streak of 19 consecutive retired batters snapped when Jamie Burke singled to lead off the second.

Galliher pitched 11 scoreless innings, which was interrupted after Burke and Pair hit back-to-back doubles with two out in the sixth. She had two outs in the seventh when the Pirates strung three consecutive hits together to scratch across a run and cut the Dragon lead to 5-2.

Samarah Bailey earned her second save of the season with a one-out performance.

Galliher struck out nine and walked none in Game 2 over 6 2-3 innings She allowed eight hits and two earned runs to move her season record to 5-0.

GAME 1 RECAP
Trailing 5-2 after two innings, Madison Grimes hit a two-run home run and Natalie Bevan backed her up with a solo shot to center to tie the score at 5-all in the bottom of the third. That same combination gave the Dragons a 7-5 lead in the fourth. Grimes' RBI single scored Haley Miller and then scored herself on a Bevan sacrifice fly.

The Blue Dragons tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth with an RBI double by Kylee Dun and sacrifice fly from Carley Sterneker.

Hutchinson pounded out 15 hits in Game 1.

Haley Miller went a career-best 4 for 4 with three runs scored an RBI and was 3 for 3 in stolen bases to lead the Blue Dragons. Dunn went 3 for 3 and was on base in all four plate appearances with a first-inning walk. Miller joins Grimes and Sterneker as Blue Dragons with four-hit games this season.

Grimes and Bevan had two hits each and both broke in three runs apiece.

GAME 2 RECAP
Grimes had a four-RBI performance in Game 2. She had a sacrifice fly to plate Lexi Williams in the bottom of the first and broke the game open in the fifth with a three-run home run to center field. Grimes also tripled to lead off the fourth and scored on a Bevan sacrifice fly.

Independence out-hit Hutchinson 8-7 in the second game.

Williams was 2 for 3 with three stolen bases and two runs scored in the second game. Williams now has 24 steals this season and 53 for her Blue Dragon career.