DRAGONS COMPLETE FOUR-GAME SWEEP OF HAWKS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College softball team completed a four-game sweep of the Northeast (NE) Hawks on Friday, earning victories in Games 3 and 4 in very different ways.

Sophomore Tailor Golly's extra-inning walkoff single scored Kaibryn Kruger in the eighth inning in Hutchinson's 5-4 victory in the third game of the series. Then in the series finale, sophomore Mia Williams tossed a two-hit shutout as the Blue Dragons run ruled the Hawks 8-0 in six innings.

The Blue Dragons are now 8-0 to start the season, passing the 2018 Blue Dragons for the second-best start in program history. The all-time best start in a season was 10-straight wins in 2006. The Blue Dragons hit the road for the first time next weekend at Murray State on Friday and North Central Texas on Saturday.

GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 5, Northeast 4, 8 innings
The Blue Dragons had to rally from deficits of 3-0 after three innings and 4-1 after 4 1/2 innings in Friday's first game.

The Blue Dragons tied the game with three runs in the fourth inning. Freshman Riley Dreher roped a two-run double to score Golly and Gabby Stauffer. Dreher then scored the tying run when Addi Lutz hit a game-tying double to knot the score at 4-4.

Dragon pitchers worked out of two huge jams to keep the Blue Dragons in the game.

In the sixth, Kaci Young worked out of a second and third, one-out situation, getting three pop outs to keep the Hawks off the board.

Then in the eighth, The Dragons issued three-straight walks loading the bases, but Alyssa Rogers coaxed three-consecutive fielder's choices to work out of the jam unscathed.

Kruger opened the bottom of the eighth with a double to left field. She was sacrificed to third on a Leyla O'Connor bunt. Golly then struck a walk-off single back up the middle to plate Kruger with the winning run.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Northeast 16-6, the 16 hits are a season high. Golly, Dreher and Lutz had three hits each.

Golly was 3 for 5 with a run and RBI. Dreher was 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs and RBIs. Lutz was 3 for 3 with a double and an RBI. O'Connor was 2 for 4 with a double. The Dragons had six doubles in the game.

Hutchinson stranded 12 runners on base.

Rogers (2-0) earned the win with her work in the eighth inning. She allowed just one walk.

Young pitched five innings out of the bullpen. She allowed two hits and one unearned run with three strikeouts and six walks. Sophomore Jessica Schmidt started and pitched two innings. She allowed four hits and three runs with two strikeouts.

GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 8, Northeast 0, 6 innings
Williams tossed her first career complete game, first career shutout and went a career-long six innings to post Hutchinson's third shutout in the series.

Over those six innings, Williams (1-0) struck out two and walked two while striking out five. She allowed five baserunners in the game and retired the final seven and 11 of the final12 batters she faced. Only one Hawk baserunner reached third against Williams.

The Blue Dragons hammered out 11 hits in the final game of the series.

Dreher went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Stauffer was 2 for 3 with two doubles with an RBI and run scored. Golly was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored.

The Blue Dragons scored three runs in the first inning. Stauffer had a sacrifice fly and Dreher had an RBI single.

The Dragons made it 7-0 in the third with another three-run inning. Consecutive RBI singles by Lutz, Macy Stephenson and Reece Goetz produced the runs in the inning.

The Dragons closed the game out in the sixth when Dreher's ground-rule double to left field scored Golly with Hutchinson's eighth run for the third run-rule victory in the series.