DRAGON OFFENSE ERUPTS IN SWEEP OF PRATT
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College softball team combined for 34 runs and 33 hits as the Blue Dragons cruised to a pair of run-rule wins in their 2025 home and Jayhawk Conference opener on Wednesday at Fun Valley.
Freshman Kaibryn Kruger homered in both games of Hutchinson's doubleheader sweep of Pratt. Kruger had four RBIs in a 13-5 victory in five innings of Game 1. Then sophomore second baseman Emily Dice had a career-high five RBIs and sophomore shortstop Bailey Backhaus added four runs driven in to go with Kruger's second homer of the day in a 21-3 five-inning victory over the Beavers.
The Blue Dragons improved to 6-4 overall and start the KJCCC season 2-0. The Dragons travel to Fort Hays Tech Northwest on Saturday. Pratt is now 1-9 and 0-2 in league play.
GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 13, Pratt 5 (5 innings)
The Blue Dragons jumped out to an 8-2 lead through four innings, but Pratt got back into the game with a three-run fifth inning to pull within three runs.
The Dragons immediately responded. Brooke Backhaus doubled to lead off the inning. She scored on a Pratt error and the Dragons quickly wrapped the game up with a two-run Dice double, an RBI triple by Bailey Backhaus and a Kaibryn Kruger bunt single that scored the game-ending run.
Kaibryn Kruger's two-run home run came in the fourth inning that gave the Dragons an 8-2 lead. Kruger had a season-high three hits, going 3 for 4 with two runs and a season-high four RBIs.
Gabby Stauffer had a two-run double in the first inning. Stauffer went 2 for 3 with two doubles. Tailor Golly went 2 for 3 with a run scored.
Brie Brawner drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly in the first inning and an RBI single in the third. Dice was 1 for 3 with her two-run double.
Sophomore pitcher Morgan Tomlinson (3-2) was credited with the victory. Tomlinson worked 4 1-3 innings. She gave up 10 hits and five earned runs with two strikeouts and no walks.
Tomlinson got into a jam in the fifth inning and Jessica Schmidt game in with one out in the inning and the go-ahead run at the plate and recorded the final two outs to earn her first collegiate save.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 21, Pratt 3 (5 innings)
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first, the Blue Dragons had their biggest single inning of the season, racking up eight runs on seven hits to take control. The Dragons added seven runs in the third and six more in the fourth as Hutchinson had a season-high 20 hits in the game.
Dice and Bailey Backhaus, hitting Nos. 9 and 1 in the Hutchinson batting order, led the Dragons offensively.
Dice had career highs for hits and RBIs. She went 3 for 5 with five runs driven in and two runs scored. Dice had a two-run single in the first, a two-run single in the third and an RBI single in the fourth.
Bailey Backhaus went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and four RBIs. She had a two-run double in the first, an RBI single in the third and an RBI fielder's choice in the fourth.
Seven different Blue Dragons had multi-RBI games in Game 2.
Brawner tied a career high with three RBIs, going 2 for 3. Brooke Backhaus, Stauffer and Aubree Thomas had two RBIs each.
Kaibryn Kruger hit a two-run home run in the third inning, going 2 for 5. Golly, Stauffer, Brooke Backhaus and Brawner all had two hits each.
Thomas (3-1) was the starting and winning pitcher for the Dragons. She struck out four and allowed five hits and three runs in four innings. Schmidt pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
This is the fourth time in series history the Blue Dragons have scored 20 or more runs in a game against Pratt.