CARDIAC BLUE DRAGONS FORCE DECISIVE TITLE GAME
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
WICHITA – There must be something about May 18 and Blue Dragon baseball.
Five years ago to the day on the very same Eck Stadium field, the 2019 Blue Dragons had a pair of walk-off elimination wins over Cloud County and Barton.
Fast forward to May 18, 2024 – just a couple of hours after walking off in 10 innings against the Barton Cougars – the No. 10-ranked Blue Dragons won their fifth-straight Plains District (Region 6) Tournament elimination game with a 10-inning 11-8 victory over No. 1-ranked Johnson County.
BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL
No.10 Hutchinson (51-12) vs. No. 1 Johnson County (51-12)
Plains District (Region 6) Tournament Championship Game
When: Sunday, May 19, 2024
At: Eck Stadium, Wichita, KS
Time: 1 p.m.
Video: KJCCC Network, 12:55 p.m.
X: @bluedragonsport
The Blue Dragons (51-12) and Cavaliers (51-12) will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at Eck Stadium in a second championship game for the right to represent Region 6 at the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado starting on Memorial Day weekend.
Hutchinson is trying to accomplish a rare feat since Region 6 went to the current tournament format in 2004. The Blue Dragons are trying to become only the second team since this format was implemented to lose its first game and come all the way through the elimination bracket and win the double-elimination tournament. Only the Cowley Tigers in 2007 have accomplished that task.
Hutchinson dropped its tournament opener on Wednesday to Barton, 5-4. Since, the Dragons have reeled off five-straight victories, including two wins on Friday and two more on Saturday.
The Blue Dragons had early leads of 1-0 and 3-2, building a 6-2 cushion after six innings. Johnson County pulled within one run with a three-run seventh. Hutchinson got a big insurance run in the top of the ninth when Quinn Maher's sacrifice fly to left scored Luis Pimentel-Guerrero to make it 8-6. The Cavaliers got a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 7-7, sending the game to extra innings.
The Blue Dragons took advantage of some Johnson County gifts in the 10th to score four runs. With one out, pinch-hitter Jackson Summers and Jordan Tucker drew walks. Leadoff hitter loaded the bases after getting hit with a pitch. The Dragons scored the first two runs of the inning on bases-loaded walks to Pimentel-Guerrero and Cooper Wesslund, then Maher delivered a two-run single to give the Dragons an 8-4 lead.
Johnson County scored an unearned run without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the 10th, but Ashton Perkins (5-0) closed out the game with a groundout and flyout to force a second championship game on Sunday.
Perkins went 3 1-3 innings to earn this victory. He had one strikeout and allowed three runs on three hits.
Reliever Jacob Hadden pitched 5 1-3 strong innings to keep the Dragons in the game. Haddon gave up just two hits and no runs with two strikeouts.
Maher led Hutchinson offensively, tying a career high with four RBIs. Maher produced two runs with a groundout and sacrifice fly before his two-run since in the 10th inning.
Cody Gunderson was 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Wesslund was 1 for 4 with two RBIs. Blake Bradford was 2 for 3. Jordan Tucker went 2 for 4 with three runs scored.
The Blue Dragons took full advantage of nine Johnson County walks and four hit batters.
POSTGAME NOTES:
+ The 2024 Blue Dragons extend their record number of season victories to 51.
+ The Blue Dragons are 3-1 in extra innings this season.
+ Leadoff hitter Kael Babin was hit twice with pitches vs. Johnson County. He has been hit six times in the Plains District Tournament, taking over the team lead with 29 HBPs for the season.
+ The Dragons are 9-3 this season when an opponent scores 6 to 9 runs in a game.
+ The Dragons are 12-7 when an opponent scores first.