Apr 04, 2025

⚾ Dragons split first two games of series with T-Birds

Posted Apr 04, 2025 11:25 AM
Trenton Roehler reacts after getting out of a fifth-inning jam in the Blue Dragons' 2-1 victory over Cloud County on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
Trenton Roehler reacts after getting out of a fifth-inning jam in the Blue Dragons' 2-1 victory over Cloud County on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Trenton Roehler tossed a season-high six innings and combined with Collin Flores to hold Cloud County to three hits as the Hutchinson Community College baseball team extended its winning streak to eight games in Game 1 of a Jayhawk West doubleheader on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field.

Roehler and Flores teamed up to win a 2-1 pitchers' duel in Game 1. That win streak came to an end in Game 2 on Thursday as Cloud County rallied from two deficits with 10 unanswered runs in a 13-5 victory to even the four-game league series at 1-1.

Became of potential rainy weather forecast for both Friday and Saturday, games 3 and 4 will now be at 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Doyen Field in Concordia.

GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 2, Cloud County 1
Coming off a career-high 11 strikeout performance and earning both Jayhawk West and NJCAA Division I National Pitcher of the Week honors, Roehler kept on rolling on Thursday.

The Blue Dragon right-hander retired the first six batters he faced. After allowing a single run in the third, the Thunderbirds had Roehler on the ropes in the fourth after a walk and single had runners on first and second with no out, Roehler retired the next three Cloud batters by strikeout, pop-out and strikeout.

Then in the fifth, the Thunderbirds loaded the bases, but Roehler escaped that inning without allowing a run, protecting a 2-1 lead.

Roehler (3-1) worked a season-high six innings, allowing two hits, one run and four walks while striking out six Thunderbirds.

Flores earned his third save of the season with a scoreless seventh. He allowed one hit and hit one batter.

Offensively, the Blue Dragons out-hit Cloud County 6-3.

The Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the first when Quinn Maher singled in Taber Stokes. Cloud County tied the game in the top of the third inning but immediately regained the lead in the bottom of the third when C.J. Reid singled to center to score Anthony Mazza for a 2-1 lead.

Reid was 2 for 2 with an RBI to lead the Blue Dragons.

Taber Stokes, Mazza, Maher and A.J. Mustow all had singles in the game.

GAME 2 RECAP – Cloud County 13, Hutchinson 5
The nightcap got off to a fast start with four lead changes in the first five innings.

The Dragons took a 2-1 lead in the first inning when Mazza hit a two-run home run to center field. Then trailing 3-2 in the third, Reid hit a two-run triple to right field to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third.

Starting in the fifth, the Thunderbirds took control of the game with 10 unanswered runs – six runs in the fifth and four more runs in the sixth.

The Blue Dragons were out-hit 10-8. Seven Blue Dragon pitchers allowed six walks and hit nine Cloud County batters. Gabe Perry (4-2) was the losing pitcher in the second game.

Mazza was 2 for 4 with his sixth home run of the season. He drove in a pair of runs. Reid was 1 of 4 with a triple and two RBIs. Mustow, Leo Griffin and Stokes had doubles.