Andrew Dixon celebrates after scoring the winning run on a wild pitch from second base in the 13th inning of HCC's thrilling 5-4 winner's bracket final over Cowley on May 17, 2010.
	Shaun Hoover catches a throw from right-fielder David Longmore to double off a Cowley runner in the 10th inning.

2010 Region VI Super-Regional - Winner's Bracket Final
Hutchinson 5, Cowley 4 (13 inn.)
May 17, 2010 - Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, Wichita

WIN NO. 1,000
IS 13-INNING THRILLER
THAT SENDS HCC TO REGION VI TITLE GAME

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WICHITA – The 1,000th baseball victory in Hutchinson Community College history proved to be one of its most memorable, most thrilling and most important.

With HCC’s 2010 Region VI Championship winner’s bracket final against defending regional champion Cowley College tied in the 13th inning, sophomore Andrew Dixon scored all the way from second base on a wild pitch with the game-winning run to defeat the Tigers 5-4 on Monday, May 17, 2010 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

The victory advances the Blue Dragons (36-22) into the Region VI championship game as the undefeated team in the double-elimination tournament.

“To win a game like that is our style of play,” said HCC sophomore centerfielder Jamell Cervantez of HCC’s 13th-inning comeback which was won on daring baserunning by Dixon.

Cowley rallied to tie the game in the ninth with an unearned run and took a 4-3 lead in the 13th on a Tyler Hancock sacrifice fly.

Cervantez led off Hutch’s 13th inning by working a walk off Cowley relief pitcher Chase Webb. Cervantez stole second, his third stolen base of the game and his 10th in the last four games, to move into scoring position. Dixon, on a 2-2 pitch, singled sharply up the middle to drive home Cervantez with the tying run and then took second when Tiger centerfielder Ronnie Melendez overran the ball.

On the first pitch to designated hitter Ryan Mayfield, Webb uncorked a wild pitch that bounced into the corner near the Cowley dugout. Catcher Ruben Marrero recovered to fire to Webb covering the plate, but Dixon beat the tag, scoring all the way from second to send HCC into its first Region VI championship game since 2005.

“I saw (the pitch) in the dirt and I ran,” Dixon said of the game-winning play. “I don’t know if Coach Crookes was waving me. I just heard him say ‘it’s in the pads, it’s in the pads.’ I took off and I saw the eyes of the catcher and the chances of him throwing clean to get me were pretty slim, so I took a chance.”

“Dixon had already taken third easily,” HCC head coach Kyle Crookes said. “I was pointing to the ball because I thought it was caught underneath and it must have come out. The catcher was able to make a play and throw it to the pitcher. I don’t know if Dixon broke stride or not. He’s a top-of-the-order guy. It’s been engrained in him for as long as he been here and his job was to run. He was doing his job.”

After taking a 3-1 lead after five innings, the Blue Dragons went scoreless for seven straight innings against Cowley starter Stephen Spirlock and Webb. The Dragons had just eight hits, but the running game once again proved to be a catalyst with seven stolen bases in nine attempts against Cowley.

In the third inning after falling behind 1-0, the Dragon running game manufactured two runs to take the lead.

After catching a break when Cowley catcher Ray Otero dropped a foul ball to keep Dixon’s at-bat alive, Cervantez, stole second, and then stole third, scoring on a wild throw to third by Otero to knot the game at 1-all. Dixon walked, stole second, stole third and scored on Otero’s third error of the inning to give HCC a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Dragons took a 3-1 lead in the fifth when sophomore Matt Williams launched his fourth home run of the postseason, a solo blast, to dead center field.

That gave staff ace Shawn Lewick a little cushion to work with. Throwing on short rest after two wins in the Overland Park sub-regional, Lewick battled a potent Tiger lineup, allowing eight hits, three runs, but only one was earned. He struck out three and walked three in 9 1-3 innings.

“I tried to do everything I had to do to win this game,” said Lewick, who got a no decision. “I wanted the ball. This was one of the biggest games you every want to play in. There was no doubt in my mind I was going to go out and do a good job.”

The Dragons took a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning. Lewick got the first two Cowley batters out in the ninth, but a single up the middle by Otero and a bloop single by Melendez set up the game-tying run. Chance Ross hit a chopper to Williams at short and he couldn’t get the ball out of his glove, which allowed pinch runner Grant Glasser to score the tying run.

“The ninth was a deflating moment,” Crookes said. “Our guys are resilient and are tough. We fought through a lot.”

Freshman Morgan Cirbo replaced Lewick one out into the 10th inning and immediately got HCC out of a jam when Robbie Rea lined out to rightfielder David Longmore, who doubled off Aaron Rea at first to end the inning.

HCC had a golden opportunity to score in the 10th, loading the bases with one out. Dixon fouled out to shallow left field and Cowley’s B.J. Misialek threw out Dan Klein at the plate to end the inning.

Despite giving up the run in the 13th inning, Cirbo (2-2) earned his first victory since April 25, going 3 2-3 innings, allowing just one hit, one run and struck out one.

“To Morgan Cirbo’s credit, he kept that game where it was at and gave us a chance,” Crookes said.

Cervantez was the only Blue Dragon to have a multi-hit game, going 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

GAME NOTES – HCC is now 1,000-650-1 in program history. … In the postseason (7 games), HCC has trailed in all seven games. The Dragons are now 6-1 in the postseason. … HCC is 40 for 47 in stolen base attempts in the postseason, stealing 29 bases in the last four games. … Jamell Cervantez has 10 steals in the last four games. … HCC is 2-0 in extra-inning games in the postseason and 3-2 in extra innings this season. … The 2010 Blue Dragons are tied for 10th in program history with its 36th win of the season. … HCC now has 517 team hits, eighth most in team history. … HCC extended its school record for stolen bases to 173. … The 2010 Blue Dragon pitching staff now has 358 strikeouts, which is tied for fourth in team history. … Andrew Dixon is now tied for 10th on the career games played list (108) and is tied for eighth on the single-season list (58). He is now tied for fourth with 75 hits. Dixon’s 30 steals are tied for sixth on the single-season list. … Cervantez moved into a tie for seventh on the career hit-by-pitch list with 22. He now has 27 steals with is tied for 10th on the single-season list … Luke Acosta moved into third place on the career defensive assists list with 210. … Lewick is now tied for seven in career innings pitched with 116. He is now fifth in career strikeouts with 119. Lewick’s 1.71 earned run average is eighth best in single-season history. His 82 strikeouts are third most in single-season history.