DRAGONS, GRIZZLIES BATTLE TO 2ND DH SPLIT OF SEASON
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
EL DORADO – Aspen Goetz and Riley Wertz homered while Emily Munson and Wertz did the job in the pitching circle as the No. 15 Hutchinson Community College softball team earned a 7-2 victory over the No. 16 Butler Grizzlies in Game 1 of a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at East Park.
The Grizzlies defeated Hutchinson 9-1 in six innings to earn a second doubleheader split between the top two teams in the KJCCC in Game 2.
The Blue Dragons are now 29-6 overall and 17-3 in the Jayhawk. Butler is now 28-8 and 19-3 in the Jayhawk. Hutchinson is off until next Wednesday when it plays at home for the first time since March 17 when the Dragons play host to Barton at Fun Valley.
GAME 1 RECAP
Wertz hit her sixth home run of the season with one out in the second inning, a solo shot to center field, to give the Blue Dragons a 1-0 lead.
Then tied a 1-1 in the fifth, Goetz launched a three-run home run to left field to give the Dragons a 4-1 lead.
The Blue Dragons took advantage of two Butler errors and scored three runs in the sixth. Jaeleigh Darnell's infield single to second base scored Madison Grimes for a 5-2 lead. Wertz then hit a drive to right-center that was dropped and allowed Goetz and Alexis Mastin to score for a five-run lead.
That was more than enough for Munson and Wertz in the circle. Munson (4-0) earned her first pitching victory since March 8 by working 4 2-3 innings. She allowed three hits and two unearned runs with three walks and three strikeouts.
Wertz earned her sixth save of the season and 15th of her career throwing the final 2 1-3 innings. She struck out six and allowed three hits.
The Blue Dragons out-hit the Grizzlies 9-6 in Game 1.
Goetz was 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Now with 56 RBIs for the season, Goetz jumps into the Top 5 Hutchinson season RBIs list. She is tied with Jenn Tanno and Jamie Tanno for fifth on the single-season list.
Olivia Sandoval was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Grimes was 2 for 3 with two walks and two runs scored.
GAME 2 RECAP
The Blue Dragons were held to just three hits and committed a season-worst six errors as Butler battled back to earn a split. The Grizzlies scored two runs in the second, third and fifth innings and scored three runs in the sixth to close out the game.
The Dragons scored their only run of he game in the fifth inning when Grimes' sacrifice fly scored Korri Lies to cut the Grizzly lead to 4-1.
Sandoval, Grimes and Lies had the only Dragon hits of Game 2.
Morgan Pennycuff (10-2) took the loss for the Dragons. She worked two-plus innings and allowed four runs and three hits with four strikeouts.