DRAGONS IMPROVE TO 6-0 WITH SWEEP OF NEO LADY NORSE
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
MIAMI, Oklahoma – The No. 17-ranked Hutchinson Community College softball team earned its first 6-0 start to a season since 2018 on Saturday with a doubleheader sweep of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M on Saturday at Iverson Field.
Led by Alexis Mastin's fourth home run of the weekend, the Blue Dragons defeated NEO 7-4 in Game 1. Bailey Backhaus had four hits and Dakota Lake drove in four runs as Hutchinson had a season-high 19 hits in a 19-6 victory in Game 2.
The Blue Dragons improve to 6-0 to start the season after a 4-0 road trip to Neosho County and NEO this weekend. Hutchinson travels to play No. 7 Murray State next Friday and at North Central Texas next Saturday.
Blue Dragon sophomore third baseman Olivia Sandoval had hits in both games on Saturday to extend her consecutive-game hitting streak to 22 games. Sandoval is now alone in second place for hitting streaks in Blue Dragon history, breaking a tie with Kelcee Thompson in Game 1 Saturday.
Sandoval singled in her first at-bat of Game 1 to push the streak to 21 games. It took Sandoval t her fourth plate appearance in Game 2 to extend the streak to 22 games.
GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 7, NEO 4
Sandoval tied a single-game career high going 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles, three runs scored and an RBI to lead the Blue Dragons in the opener. Sandoval had an RBI double in Hutchinson's decisive four-run third inning.
After hitting three home runs in the Neosho County doubleheader on Friday, Mastin picked up where she left off with a two-run home run her first at-bat Saturday against NEO. Mastin finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. She had an insurance run RBI double in the sixth that gave the Dragons a 7-3 lead.
Bailey Backhaus was 2 for 5 with a run scored. Preslee Irwin had her first multi-hit game of the season going 2 for 4 with a pair of singles. Both Brooke Backhaus and Korri Lies had RBI singles in the third inning.
The Blue Dragons out-hit NEO 12-7.
Morgan Tomlinson (2-0) went five innings in her first career start for the Blue Dragons. After a rough first inning, Tomlinson retired 11 consecutive NEO players before giving up a run in the fifth. Tomlinson surrendered five hits and three earned runs with three strikeouts and no walks.
Dakota Lake worked the final two innings with four strikeouts. Lake gave up a run on two hits.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 19, NEO 6
The Blue Dragons had season highs of 19 runs and 19 hits in Game 2. Hutchinson scored runs in 6 of 7 at-bats, including a season-best 11 runs in the seventh inning.
Seven of 9 Blue Dragons starters had multi-hit games and all nine starters registered hits.
Bailey Backhaus had a season high four hits, going 4 for 6 with four runs scored, two doubles, two stolen bases and two RBIs.
Lake went 3 for 5 with a game-high four RBIs. Lake had RBIs in four different plate appearances, including a bases-loaded walk in the 11-run seventh inning.
Mastin went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Jaeleigh Darnell was 2 for 4 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. Madi Divis was 2 for 4 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Irwin had a second-straight two-hit game, going 2 for 5 with two runs. Tamara Lozoya was 2 for 4 with two runs, a double and an RBI.
Sandoval had a hit and two RBIs.
Delaney Blakesley (2-0) earned her second pitching win of the weekend. Blakesley worked four innings and allowed six hits and three earned runs. Lake had her second save of the season, going the final three innings. She had three strikeouts and allowed five hits and one earned run.
The Blue Dragons sent 16 batters to the plate in the 11-run seventh inning and had six hits. The Dragons took advantage of five walks, a hit batsman and two NEO errors.
DIAMOND NOTES – Now with 14 career home runs, Alexis Mastin is tied for 12th on the Blue Dragon career home run list. … Hutchinson's 11-run seventh inning in Game 2 tied for the fifth-largest single inning in team history for the seventh time. The Dragons' last inning of 11 or more runs came last season in a 12-run inning at Seward County on March 22, 2023. … Bailey Backhaus' four runs scored in Game 2 ties for the sixth most runs in in individual single-game history. … Mastin was a combined 7 for 14 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in four games this weekend. … This was Olivia Sandoval's seventh career two-double game of her career.