ROSSER’S 7 SHUTOUT INNINGS HIGHLIGHT DRAGON SWEEP OF GC
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Hutchinson Community College freshman pitcher Lachlan Rosser fired seven shutout innings to help the Blue Dragons moved back into the upper division of the Jayhawk West Standings on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.
Freshman Nick Glantz drove in three runs to lead the Blue Dragons to a 7-3 victory in Game 1 of a four-game Jayhawk West series against Garden City on Friday. Rosser and Colin Flores teamed up for a three-hit shutout to lead Hutchinson to a 4-0 victory in Game 2.
With the doubleheader sweep of the Broncbusters, the Blue Dragons (33-16 overall) move past Colby into fourth place in the Jayhawk West with a 14-12 record. The top four teams in the final Jayhawk West standings earn a first-round best-of-3 series in the opening round of the Region 6 Tournament.
The Blue Dragons and Garden City (21-28, 7-19) play games 3 and 4 of the series at 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 4, Garden City 0
Rosser (5-3) tied a season high for innings pitched with seven strong innings in his first start in the No. 2 slot of Hutchinson's weekend rotation.
The Blue Dragon freshman left-hander allowed just two hits – doubles in the third and seventh innings – walked one and hit a batter with six strikeouts. He needed 95 pitches and recorded 10 groundball outs and four flyball outs. Rosser allowed only allowed four Garden City base runners to reach face and only one runner reached third base.
Flores allowed a hit, walk and hit a batter in the final two innings, but kept the Busters scoreless in the eighth by coaxing an inning-ending 5-3 double play.
The Blue Dragons opened the scoring with an RBI triple by Anthony Mazza that scored Quinn Maher in the first inning. The Dragons took a 3-0 lead when A.J. Mustow hit a two-run home run to center field in the third inning. Hutchinson led 4-0 after Taber Stokes singled to left to score Mustow in the eighth.
The Blue Dragons were led by Mustow, who went 2 for 4 with a double and triple, two runs and two RBIs.
Hutchinson out-hit Garden City 6-3.
With hits in both games, both Mustow and Stokes extended their hitting streaks to 11 games each.
GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 7, Garden City 3
The Blue Dragons started fast as their first four batters all reached base and scored to give the Blue Dragons a 4-0 lead in the first. Mazza doubled home Maher, then Glantz hit a two-run single and Stokes added an RBI single to open the game.
The Blue Dragons built a 7-0 lead with three runs in the fifth inning. Glantz had an RBI single to score Mazza. Then Mustow reached a Blue Dragon career milestone as his 100th career hit was a two-run double that plated C.J. Reid and Glantz.
Garden City responded with a three-run innings in its half of the fifth and then put the pressure on the Dragons for the remainder of the game. The Broncbusters stranded two runners in the sixth inning and loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Blue Dragon relief pitcher Sean Combs got two flyball outs to close out the victory.
Sophomore starter Trenton Roehler (4-3) pitched five-plus innings and allowed five hits and three runs with six strikeouts and two walks. Combs gave up two hits and two walks with two strikeouts over two innings.
Glantz led a six-hit attack going 2 for 3 with his fourth three-RBI game of the season. Mazza had a double and an RBI. Mazza, Mustow and Stokes had the other Blue Dragons hits.
GAME NOTES – A.J. Mustow became the 59th Blue Dragon to reach 100 career hits. … Now with 33 career doubles, Mustow tied Justin Reynolds (2000-01) and Truan Mehl (2002-03) for 10th place on the Blue Dragon career list. … The Blue Dragon pitching staff had its fifth shutout of the season in Game 2. … Mustow and Taber Stokes behind the fifth and sixth Blue Dragons to have hitting streaks of 10 or more games.