FIRST HOME DH YIELDS SWEEP FOR BLUE DRAGONS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Freshman Taylor Ullery delivered a clutch two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning to help the Hutchinson Community College softball team defeat Cloud County 6-4 in Game 1 of the Blue Dragons' home-opening doubleheader on Wednesday at Fun Valley.

Then pitchers Megan Davis and Maryssa Rollin combined to hold the Thunderbirds to one earned run on three hits in a 6-1 win to complete the sweep.

Hutchinson improves to 2-1 while Cloud County dropped its first two games of the season.

GAME 1 RECAP
Ullery got the Blue Dragons going in Game 1 with a two-run home run, which helped Hutch build a 4-0 lead after two innings. Cloud County then scored for unanswered runs and tied the game at 4-all in the top of the sixth with a two-out double by Mikayla Bletcher.

That set the stage for the sixth inning. With one out, both Sabrina Luttig and Caitlin Schumacker singled. After an Alexis Way sacrifice bunt, Ullery ripped an 0-1 pitch down the left-field line to score pinch runner Brooke Jamison and Schumacher to give Hutch a 6-4 lead.

Cloud County started off in the seventh with its first two batters reaching on Hutch errors. Rollin, who entered the game in the sixth, retired the next two batters but then hit Kennedy Doherty to load the bases with two out. Rollin then struck out Shania Schraad to close out the victory and pick up her first win as a Blue Dragon.

Ullery was 2 for 4 to lead Hutchinson's 10-hit attack. Ullery had a season-high four RBIs and scored one run.

Luttig was 3 for 3 with a run scored for the Dragons. Way led off the game with a triple and also added a double to go 2 for 3 with two runs scored. Luttig and Brynne Stockman both had doubles.

Stockman battled through four-plus innings and allowed four hits, three earned runs and three walks. Stockman struck out five. Madison Lewellen pitched one hitting with a walk, hit and earned run allowed.

Rollin's final pitching line was two innings with a pair of hits, one earned run and three strikeouts.

GAME 2 RECAP
Davis and Rollin were the headliners in Game 2 with their performance in the circle. The Blue Dragons pitchers limited the Thunderbirds to three total hits.

Davis, a sophomore, worked the first 4 1-3 innings and allowed three hits and one earned run. She walked one and struck out three. Davis' only blemish over the first two innings was a Dragon fielding error. Cloud County scored its only run in the third, but the T-Birds ran themselves out of a big inning when the Dragons execute a six-throw rundown for a key out of the inning.

A Cloud hit, Dragon error and a walk in the top of the fifth loaded the bases with one out and ended Davis' outing. Rollin entered the circle and struck out Cloud's Nos. 2 and 3 hitters to get out of the jam unscathed. Rollin retired all eight batters she faced to close out the victory.

Scoreless through two innings, the Dragons loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with no out. Kiara DeCrane then struck with a two-run double to the left-center field gap to score Way and Ullery. After an Aubrey Peck sacrifice bunt, Luttig plated a pair with a single up the middle for a 4-0 Dragon lead.

Hutch went up 6-1 on Rollins' first career homer, a two-run shot in the fifth inning to make it 6-1.

The Blue Dragons had just six hits in Game 2. Rollin was 2 for 2 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored. DeCrane and Luttig had two RBIs each.

The Blue Dragons will be off for eight days before a two-day road trip to Neosho County and Allen next Thursday and Friday.