DRAGONS STUNNED IN PLAINS DISTRICT OPENER

Blue Dragon center fielder Kael Babin makes a head-first diving catch earn in Wednesday's Plains District opening-round game at Eck Stadium in Wichita. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

May 15, 2024

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

WICHITA – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team's road to Grand Junction became much longer Wednesday as the second-seeded Blue Dragons were upset in the opening round of the Plains District (Region 6) Tournament by the Barton Cougars.

The 10th-seeded Cougars scored two runs each in the sixth and eighth innings to erase an early Blue Dragon lead in a 5-3 victory over Hutchinson at Eck Stadium.

The No. 10 nationally ranked Blue Dragons (46-12) will now have to come all the way through the losers' bracket to have a chance at their first trip to the NJCAA World Series since 2010. Hutchinson begins is trek in the elimination bracket at 10 a.m. Thursday against the Dodge City Conquistadors.

BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL
No. 2 Hutchinson (46-12) vs. No. 8 Dodge City (38-22)
Plains District (Region 6) Tournament Elimination First Round
When: Thursday, May 16, 2024
Time: 10 a.m.
At: Eck Stadium, Wichita
Video: KJCCC Network (Pay-Per-View), 9:55 a.m.
X: @bluedragonsport

Trailing 1-0 after one inning, the Blue Dragons took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Quinn Maher led off the inning with a single and then scored all the way from first on Blake Bradford's RBI double off the wall in left-center field. Jordan Tucker then followed with an RBI double to give the Dragons the lead.

Barton claimed a 3-2 lead after Owen Clyne's two-run triple. The Dragons had a great scoring chance in the seventh. Bradford and Tucker led off the inning with singles and were sacrificed up a base after a Hank Griffin bunt. But the Dragons – Hutchinson was 1 for 7 in scoring position and 1 for 10 with two outs – came up empty. The Dragons left six runners on base.

The Cougars got a pair of two-out insurance runs in the eighth with an RBI single from Kyler Horsman and an RBI double from Grant Nottleman for a 5-2 lead.

Hutchinson scored a run in the bottom of the ninth after Cooper Wesslund led off with a triple and scored on a Bradford sacrifice fly to right to cut the deficit to 5-3.

The Blue Dragons out-hit Barton 8-7.

Bradford was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Tucker was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Maher was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Starting pitcher Ethan Giesbrecht (11-3) was tagged with the loss. Giesbrecht tossed eight innings allowing seven hits, five total runs and four earned runs with five strikeouts and one walk. Cole Toureau and Rece Wilson finished out the ninth inning for the Dragons.

Barton starter Reece Hemmerling (9-4) threw a complete game. He gave up eight hits and three earned runs with three strikeouts and one walk.

POSTGAME NOTES:
+ Colin Cymbalista extended his career-long hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning infield single.

+ Luis Pimentel-Guerrero went 0 for 3 with a walk to snap his consecutive-game hitting streak at 19 games, which ties Trever Adams (2009) for the third-longest streak in program history.

+ Now with 90 strikeouts for the season, Ethan Giesbrecht moves past Matt Rackers into fourth place on the Blue Dragon single-season strikeout list.