LATE RALLY SENDS DRAGONS TO KJCCC CHAMPIONSHIP

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

GREAT BEND – Through the first 13 innings the 2025 season's final regular-season doubleheader on Sunday afternoon, the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons were held to just two runs and nine hits by the Barton Cougars.

Then came the seventh inning of Game 2.

The Blue Dragons sent 10 batters to plate and erupted for five runs on six hits in their final at-bat as Hutchinson rallied from a three-run deficit to defeat the Cougars 7-5, clinching the 2025 Jayhawk Conference softball championship.

The celebration was delayed after the Dragons were shut out for just the third time this season – the first time since February 23 – as Barton's Meleia Ingram pitched a one-hit shutout in a 3-0 Cougar victory.

Hutchinson (35-9) won its second league crown in the last three seasons and sixth overall (1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 2023 and 2025) with a 27-5 KJCCC record. The Blue Dragons will open play in the Region 6 Tournament on Friday at Legends Park in Dodge City. Pairings and times will be released later this week.

Within the midst of winning the conference championship Sunday, sophomores Bailey Backhaus and Morgan Tomlinson both reached individual season statistical milestones:

+ With her stolen base in Game 1, Backhaus broke Lexi Williams' single-season stolen base record with her 54th steal of the season. Williams had 53 steals in 2021.
+ Scoring the game-tying run in the top of the seventh in Game 2, Backhaus tied her own single-game record for runs scored with her 77th run.
+ Earning the pitching victory in Game 2, Tomlinson tallied her 20th win of the season. Now 20-6 in her sophomore year, Tomlinson is the first Blue Dragon 20-game winner since Holly Kelley in 2016.

GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 7, Barton 5
Hutchinson's comeback attempt got a little tougher in the bottom of the sixth when then Cougars hit their third home run of the game for a 5-2 lead entering the Dragons' final at-bat.

That final at-bat started with an Addi Lutz leadoff single and one-out hits from Emily Dice and Bailey Backhaus to load the bases. The Dragons scored on a Kaibryn Kruger fielder's choice to short to score Lutz, cutting the lead to 5-3.

Tailor Golly singled through the left side to score Dice to make it 5-4. Then Gabby Stauffer singled up the middle, scoring Bailey Backhaus with the tying run and Kruger with the go-ahead run for a 6-5 lead. After a Brooke Backhaus infield single, Brie Brawner hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Golly for a 7-5 Hutchinson lead.

Tomlinson worked around a two-out error in the bottom of the seventh to close out the victory.

Lutz and Golly both had three-hit games to lead Hutchinson's 14-hit attack. Lutz was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. Golly was 3 for 4 with a double, run scored and an RBI. Bailey Backhaus and Brooke Backhaus were both 2 for 4 and Dice was 2 for 3 with a run scored and RBI.

Barton took a 2-0 lead after two batters with the Cougars hitting back-to-back home runs to lead off the first inning.

Relief pitcher Jessica Schmidt entered the game in the first and went on to pitch a season-high five innings. She allowed four hits and three runs with one walk and one strikeout. Tomlinson pitched two shutout innings with one hit and one strikeout.

Trailing 2-0 after one inning, the Dragons tied the game at 2-all in the second after a Haley Kruger sacrifice fly scored Brawner and Dice's RBI single scored Lutz.

GAME 1 RECAP – Barton 3, Hutchinson 0
The Blue Dragons were limited to just two baserunners over the first five innings by Ingram and didn't get their first hit of the game until Bailey Backhaus' infield single in the sixth inning.

Ingram struck out 10 and walked three in her complete-game performance.

Tomlinson pitched a complete game and allowed six hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Barton hit two home runs, a solo shot in the third and a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth for the only offense of the game.

The Blue Dragons were out-hit 6-1.

GAME NOTES – Now with 136 stolen bases this season, the 2025 Blue Dragons are two steals shy of breaking the program record of 137 since in 2021. … Now with 102 doubles, the 2025 Blue Dragons move into fourth in program history for doubles. … Morgan Tomlinson now has 36 career pitching wins. … Bailey Backhaus now has 199 career hits (second on the career list), 154 career runs (second on the career list) and 79 stolen bases (third on the career list).