DRAGONS SNAP SKID WITH SWEEP OF OTTAWA JV
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
OTTAWA – The Hutchinson Community College softball team snapped a six-game losing streak on Wednesday with a non-conference doubleheader sweep of the Ottawa University junior varsity.
The Blue Dragons got a strong combined pitching effort for Jordan Galliher and Sadie Loney in a 4-2 victory in Game 1. Samarah Bailey and Loney were tough out of the bullpen in Game two as Hutchinson rallied from an early three-run deficit to win 11-7.
The Blue Dragons improve to 14-12 overall. The next action for Hutchinson won't be until Tuesday, April 10 when the Dragons play host to Northwest Tech at 2 and 4 p.m. at Fun Valley.
The return of Loney is a welcome relief to a Blue Dragon pitching staff that has struggled in her absence. Loney missed a full month of action with an injury. She worked an inning of relief in Colby on Saturday, but looked more comfortable in the pitching circle on Wednesday.
Loney entered the first game in the sixth with Hutchinson leading 4-2. After allowing a hit and walk to the first two batters she faced, Loney retired the next six batters she faced, including a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh. Loney struck out three in two innings.
The Blue Dragon left-handed pitcher worked a scoreless seventh in Game 2 with a pair of strikeouts.
GAME 1 RECAP
Hutchinson's recent batting slump carried over into Game 1.
Lexi Williams, Natalie Grimes and Haley Miller had two hits each as the Dragons had seven total hits for the game.
Williams singled to start the game and subsequently stole second base to break her own single-season stolen base record with her 30th stolen bag of the season. She scored on a Grimes since. The Dragons made it 2-0 on a Bailey Pennycuff sac fly in the fourth.
Ottawa stayed in the game with a pair of solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings. After the first Ottawa homer, the Dragons got two insurance runs in the sixth. Alexis Way scored on a Haley Miller double. Miller later scored on a wild pitch to give the Dragons a 4-1 lead.
Galliher (6-2) pitched five-plus innings to earn her sixth win of the season. She struck out three and walked one. The only hits Galliher allowed were the two solo home runs.
Williams and Grimes had two stolen bases each.
GAME 2 RECAP
The Blue Dragon bats started to come to life in Game 2 as Williams, Miller, Grimes and Natalie Bevan – the two four batters in the Blue Dragon order – combined for nine of Hutchinson's 15 hits.
The bats needed to wake up because Ottawa erupted for four runs in the bottom of the 1st to lead 4-1.
The Dragons immediately responded with a five-run second inning. Regan Gerber drove in two with a double and Williams tied the game at 4-all with an RBI groundout. Miller tripled and scored on a Grime base hit. After stealing second, Grimes scored on a Bevan hit to cap the five-run frame for a 6-4 lead.
Ottawa tied the game at 7-all in the third. From that point, Bailey, who entered the pitching circle in the first in relief of Mequela Guajardo, blanked the Braves through the sixth.
The Dragons regained the lead in the fourth when stole second and came around to score on a throwing error for an 8-7 lead. The Dragons got three insurance runs in the seventh inning.
Grimes went 3 for 4 with three stolen bases and four runs scored to lead the Blue Dragons. Williams, Miller, Bevan and Carley Sterneker all had two hits each. Bevan and Gerber had two RBIs each.
The Dragons had five doubles in Game 2. Sterneker had two doubles. Pennycuff, Grimes and Gerber also doubled. Miller had a triple.
Bailey was the winning pitcher going 5 2-3 innings out of the bullpen. Bailey gave up six hits and three earned runs. She struck out seven and walked only one.