Shawn Lewick had a rough start, but finished strong in Hutchinson's 16-5 World Series opening victory over Chattanooga State on May 29, 2010.
	Head coach Kyle Crookes shakes Ryan Mayfield's hand while rounding third after a three-run home run in an eight-run sixth inning.
	Taylor Roy signs autographs after HCC's opening-round victory in Grand Junction.

Opening Round
Hutchinson 15, Chattanooga State 6 (6 inn.)
May 29, 2010 - Sam Suplizio Field, Grand Junction, CO

DRAGON OFFENSE EXPLODES
IN WORLD SERIES OPENER
VS. CHATTANOOGA STATE

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GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – It started with small ball and turned into one of the Hutchinson Community College baseball team’s best offensive performances of the season.

And it just happened to come in the opening game of the 2010 NJCAA World Series on Saturday, May 29, 2010.

The 19th-ranked Blue Dragons parlayed seven stolen bases, four bunt singles and a safety squeeze bunt for a run into a 17-hit performance and a 15-3 run-rule victory in six innings over No. 8 Chattanooga State before an opening-game record crowd of 7,118 at Sam Suplizio Field.

“That’s the way we are,” said HCC centerfielder Jamell Cervantez, who stole three bases vs. Chattanooga State and has 15 steals in the postseason. “We play really loose. That’s the way we play the game. We play every game the same. We like to run like crazy. That’s fun for us.”

“That’s our team, our style of play,” added sophomore Matt Williams. “It’s hard to beat. We do have speed and we do have some power. We can hit gap to gap.”

All nine Blue Dragon starters had had least one hit, scored at least one run and had at least one RBI.

The 15 runs are the most scored since April 28 against Neosho County. The 17 hits are the most since April 15 against Hesston College. It was HCC’s first run-rule win since Colby on April 17.

The Blue Dragons’ 12-run margin of victory is more than HCC’s previous seven postseason wins (11 runs combined).

Hutchinson opened with a five-run first inning against Chattanooga State starter Max Aeschlimann, who lasted just two-thirds of an inning. The Tigers (37-15) closed to within 5-3 after two innings before HCC started to pull away. The Dragons scored single runs in the third and fifth before tying a season high with eight runs in the sixth to blow the game open.

“I’m not used to that,” HCC head coach Kyle Crookes said the five-run first inning. “Afterwards to keep scoring and keep getting bunts down was great. The best part about that first inning to me was Ryan Mayfield getting fisted and hitting a ball up the middle to move the runners. (Luke) Acosta did the same thing. We got bunts down and we ran. We do that and I feel good.”

Freshman Ryan Mayfield led the offensive onslaught by going 3 for 5 with a double and a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Mayfield had a season-high four RBIs and scored a run.

Sophomore Shawn Hoover had his second career three-hit game, going 3 for 4 with two runs and RBIs. Hoover had a double and was spotless in 10 defensive chances.

Luke Acosta, David Longmore, Dan Klein and Williams all had two hits. HCC had six doubles and a home run.

“That was good. It set the tone early,” Cervantez said of the five-run inning. “We knocked them down and kept them down. We came out and scored five in the first. That was huge for us. We don’t put lot a lot of big numbers, so we will take a crooked number like that every time.”

Staff ace Shawn Lewick (8-1) got off to a slow start giving up three runs in the first two innings, but settled down to earn move his career record to 15-2 and tie him for fourth on the career wins list with Craig Reed (1999-2000).

After giving up an RBI single to nine-hole hitter Isaac Davenport with one out in the second, Lewick retired 13 of the final 14 hitters he faced, including the final nine. The only blemish during that stretch was a two-out since by Dylan Coleman, who was thrown out at second base by Klein while trying to advance on a wild pitch.

“I couldn’t find my slider or any of my pitches,” Lewick said of the first two innings. “I wasn’t getting too many calls. I had to keep working at it and kept making adjustments. I was trying to overpower everything.”

Facing a line-up that hit .366 for the season, Lewick allowed three earned runs, four hits and walked two while striking out four. Lewick threw 97 pitches, but only 36 over the final four innings.

“I can’t say enough about Chattanooga’s at-bats,” Crookes said. “They really frustrate a pitcher. They are hard to strike out and are tough-minded hitters. I’m proud of Shawn. There were opportunities to get frustrated and go outside himself. He stayed with the game play and helped us out there. He got back to doing what he does.”

Cervantez’s bunt single to open the game set an early tone for the Blue Dragons. Krol blooped a single to center to score Cervantez and Dixon to get HCC on the board. Acosta added an RBI groundout for a 3-0 lead. After two were out, HCC had four consecutive hits – a double by Hoover, an RBI single by Longmore, who was 4 for 28 in the postseason – an RBI single by Klein and a double by Williams.

Chattanooga State scored three runs over the next two innings to pull within 5-3. A safety squeeze by Cervantez plated Longmore in the fourth for a 6-3 lead. The lead grew to four when Mayfield burned centerfielder Gabe Herman with a two-out RBI double for a 7-3 lead in the fifth.

The Dragons put the first four batters on to start the six. RBIs by Klein, Williams upped the lead to 10-3 before Mayfield drilled his first postseason home run and his fourth of the season, a line drive to left field, for a three-run homer and a 13-3 lead. Hoover then added a little insurance for the run-rule win with a two-run single to right for a 15-3 lead.

GAME NOTES – With their seven stolen bases vs. Chattanooga State, the Blue Dragons53 stolen bases in nine postseason games. … HCC is now 2-2 all-time in the World Series. … HCC played its 60th game of the season, third most in program history. … The 38 wins are tied for seventh all time (2005, 1998). … HCC set a team record for at-bats in a season (1.741). The 2010 Blue Dragons are now sixth in runs scored (413). HCC ups its record for stolen bases to 186 and have 122 hit-by-pitches, which is second. … Andrew Dixon is alone in sixth in career hits with 135 and is tied for third in stolen bases with 61. … Acosta is now tied for 13th on the career hits list with 118 and moved up to second in career defensive assists with 217.