DRAGONS ADVANCE TO REGION VI FINALS WITH WIN OVER BARTON

Bailey Backhaus bunts for one of her four hits in the Blue Dragons' 9-5 Region 6 Tournament losers' bracket final win over Barton on Sunday at Legends Park in Dodge City. (Billy Watson/Blue DRagon Sports Information)

May 5, 2024

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

DODGE CITY – The No. 2-seeded Hutchinson Community College softball team advanced to its second-straight Region 6 Tournament championship game after defeating the Barton Cougars 9-5 in the losers' bracket final on Sunday at Legends Park.

The Blue Dragons (44-10) advanced to play top-seeded Butler later on Sunday in the Region 6 Tournament championship game. The Blue Dragons went 6-0 against Barton (29-20) this season, which included two regional tournament victories.

Hutchinson's 44th victory tied a program season record for wins, matching the 2023 team. The Blue Dragons will be playing in their sixth regional championship game.

Leadoff hitter Bailey Backhaus had her third four-hit game of the season and Madi Divis drove in three runs to pace a Blue Dragon offense that hammered out 13 hits. Eight of 9 Blue Dragon starters had at least one hit, 7 of 9 scored at least one run and 6 of 9 had at least one RBI.

Trailing 1-0, the Blue Dragons took a one-run lead after Divis' two-run home run to left-center in the bottom of the second inning.

The Dragons had multi-run innings in four-straight innings starting with that second inning.

Hutchinson upped its lead to 5-1 with a three-run third inning. Olivia Sandoval and Jaeleigh Darnell had RBI groundouts and Divis roped an RBI double to score to score Alexis Mastin.

Barton pulled within 5-4 with a three-run Chloe Enslinger home run in the fourth inning. The Blue Dragons answered back with back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Sandoval and Mastin to rebuild a 7-4 lead.

The Blue Dragons pushed the lead to five after a pair of two-out RBI singles by Tami Lozoya and Bailey Backhaus for a 9-4 Hutchinson lead.

Bailey Backhaus was 4 for 4 with four singles, two runs scored and an RBI to pace the Blue Dragons. She also stole a season-high three bases to give her 24 for the season. Backhaus moved past Madison Grimes for sixth on the single-season stolen base list.

Divis went 2 for 4 with a double, home run and three RBIs. That was Divis' ninth home run of the season and second of the tournament.

The Blue Dragons were 8 for 13 with five RBIs in two-out situations for the Blue Dragons against the Cougars.

Lozoya was 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI. Sandoval drove in two runs.

Morgan Tomlinson came out of the bullpen to earn the victory and improve her season record to 16-2. Her second win of the Region VI Tournament consisted of four innings pitched with five hits and one earned run allowed. Tomlinson struck out two and walked none.

Tomlinson moved into a 10th-place tie for pitching wins on the Blue Dragon single-season list with her 16th victory this season. Tomlinson tied Christa Dougherty (1988) and Gloria Jobe (2006).

Delaney Blakesley started and worked three-plus innings with five hots and four runs allowed. She struck out one.