DRAGONS SWEEP FALCONS TO SET NEW PROGRAM MARK FOR WIN STREAKS

Second baseman Emily Dice makes the pivot on a 6-4-3 double play in Game 2 of a Blue Dragon Softball doubleheader week of the Friends University JV on Sunday at Fun Valley. (Andrew Carpenter/Digital Fox Photography)

April 6, 2025

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College softball team tied and broke a 38-year program record for winning streaks on Sunday at Fun Valley.

Tailor Golly drove in three runs and Haley Kruger homered to finish off an 8-0 Blue Dragon win over the Friends University Junior Varsity in five innings in Game 1 on Sunday, tying the record for longest winning streak in program history.

Gabby Stauffer went 4 for 4 with a pair of doubles and seven different Blue Dragons drove in runs in a 9-1 victory in sixth inning for the Blue Dragons' program-record 18th-consecutive victory.

Now 27-5 overall, the 2025 Blue Dragons surpassed the 1986 and 1987 Hutchinson teams, which both had 17-game win streaks in each of those seasons.

The Blue Dragons travel to play Butler at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday at East Park in El Dorado in a return to Jayhawk Conference action.

GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 8, Friends JV 0 (5 innings)
Sophomore pitcher Morgan Tomlinson earned her 28th career victory and improved her season record to 13-2 with four shutout innings. Tomlinson struck out four and allowed just one hit. Tomlinson moved past Amy Derischweiler into fifth place on the Blue Dragon career pitching wins list.

The Blue Dragons gave the Tomlinson plenty of run support.

Brooke Backhaus hit a two-run double to get the Blue Dragons on the board in the first inning. The Dragons scored three unearned runs in the second. Golly's two-run double gave the Dragons a 5-0 lead after two innings.

Golly had another RBI double in the fourth and Brie Brawner singled her home for a 7-0 lead. Then Hailey Kruger led off the fifth with an opposite-field home run to right center to end the game by mercy rule.

Brooke Backhaus led the Blue Dragons' 11-hit attack, going 3 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Golly was 2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Kaibryn Kruger went 2 for 3 with two doubles and three runs scored.

Freshman pitcher Mia Williams pitched the fifth innings and had a strikeout and a hit allowed.

GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 9, Friends JV 1 (6 innings)
Pitchers Aubree Thomas and Jessica Schmidt teamed up to keep the Falcons off balance and the Dragons hammered out 15 hits as Hutchinson earned a six-inning run-rule win in Game 2.

Thomas (11-2) worked the first four innings to earn the pitching victory. Over her four innings, Thomas allowed only two hits and one run with three strikeouts and no walks. Schmidt retired all six Friends batters she faced with four strikeouts.

Offensively, Thomas had her first career four-hit game and her team-high 18th and 19th doubles this season. She scored two runs and drove in one run.

Bailey Backhaus, Kaibryn Kruger and Golly had two hits each. Bailey Backhaus had two stolen bases – she has 39 for the season – with two RBIs. Now with 172 career hits, she is third on Hutchinson's career hits list and with 64 stolen bases, she is third in that career category.

All nine starters had at least one hit. Brawner had two RBIs in going 1 of 2 with a sacrifice fly.