DRAGONS RALLY, WALK OFF AGAINST BLUE DEVILS

Blue Dragon Baseball players swarm Blake Bradford after his game-winning walk-off double in Hutchinson's 9-8 win over Kansas City in the Plains District Tournament on Friday at Eck Stadium in Wichita. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

May 17, 2024

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

WICHITA – The second-seeded Hutchinson Community College baseball team rallied from a pair of four-run deficits, completing the comeback with Blake Bradford's walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning in the Plains District (Region 6) Tournament at Eck Stadium.

The No. 10-ranked Blue Dragons ousted No. 15 Kansas City 9-8 in a second-round elimination game on Friday. The Blue Dragons played Cowley later on Friday in the third-round of elimination games.

The Blue Dragons won their record 48th game of the season in head coach Brock Nehls' first year with the program. The Dragons improved to 48-12 and ended Kansas City's season at 47-12. The 2024 Blue Dragons broke a three-way tie for the single-season wins record with the 2002 and 2017 teams.

Hutchinson trailed 4-0 and 8-4 on Friday afternoon. Bradford was pivotal to both Blue Dragon rallies against the Blue Devils.

Bradford was 3 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons' 14-hit attack.

Trailing 4-3 in the fourth, Bradford hit a one-out game-tying home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Then down 8-7, Bradford had a sacrifice fly to score Quinn Maher with the tying run.

Tied at 8-all in the bottom of the ninth, Cooper Wesslund singled through the middle of the infield to lead off the inning. Bradford followed by smashing a 2-2 pitch to the right-center field gap that rolled to the wall, allowing Cooper to score the winning run all the way from first base.

Cody Gunderson was 3 for 5 with three runs scored. Maher was 2 for 2 with a two-run home run in the second inning and a double and run scored in the sixth. Wesslund was 2 for 5 with two runs.

Colin Cymbalista hit a solo home run in the third inning. Hank Griffin had a two-run single in the Dragons three-run sixth inning.

For the second-straight game, the Blue Dragon bullpen had some big performances.

Sophomore closer Caden Wanless (4-0) earned the victory with 1 2-3 shutout innings. He didn't allow a hit or run with four strikeouts and one walk.

Ashton Perkins grinded out a pair of innings with two strike outs two hits and a run. Gus McKay pitched 3 1-3 innings, which included a key escape in the seventh. Kansas City loaded the bases with one out in the inning, but McKay coaxed a groundball to force out a run at the plate and got a strikeout to end the inning.

McKay had two strikeouts with three walks. He allowed six hits, three runs and one earned run.

POST GAME NOTES:
+ This was Hutchinson's third walk-off victory of the season.

+ Hutchinson's No. 4 through 7 hitters – Gunderson, Maher, Wesslund and Bradford – were a combined 10 for 17 with six RBIs.

+ Colin Cymbalista hit his 22nd career home run and Bradford hit his 15th career home run.

+ Cymbalista extended his hitting streak to 14 games, third longest by a Blue Dragon this season. Maher extended his hitting streak to seven games.

+ The Blue Dragons are now 4-1 when tied after eight innings.

+ The Blue Dragons had their ninth game this season with three or more home runs.

+ The Blue Dragons left 10 runners on base. Kansas City also stranded 10 runners on base.

+ The pitching victory by Caden Wanless was the 13th win by a Blue Dragon reliever this season.