Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The No. 17 Hutchinson Community College baseball team swept Highland on Monday at Hobart-Detter Field, marking head coach Brock Nehls’ 100th victory with the Blue Dragons in the Game 1 run-rule win.
Hutchinson won the opener 22-0 and completed the sweep with a 12-2 victory in Game 2. Both games ended in five innings.
The Blue Dragons return to action Tuesday, Feb. 24, hosting Northeast Community College in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Hobart-Detter Field.
Sophomore Finn Hochstein powered the Game 1 offense, hitting two home runs in back-to-back plate appearances. Hochstein launched a two-run homer in the second inning and followed with a solo shot in the third after Eli Duncan led off the inning with a home run.
Game 1 — Hutchinson 22, Highland 0 (5 innings)
Hutchinson totaled 16 hits in the 22-0 run-rule victory. The Blue Dragons scored seven runs in the second inning and eight more in the third to take control early.
In the second inning, Eli Duncan reached on a throwing error, allowing Cru Huenfeld and Diesel Purnell to score for a 2-0 lead. Hochstein followed with a two-run home run to make it 4-0.
Jackson Schanuel added a sacrifice fly to score Aiden Marien, and Huenfeld delivered an RBI double.
Duncan and Hochstein opened the third inning with back-to-back home runs. Marien later singled home Ty Wilson to extend the lead to 10-0. With the bases loaded, Schanuel and Max Flowers drove in runs after being hit by a pitch and drawing a walk. Pinch hitter Austin Crawford added an RBI single. Duncan later walked and Tyson Vassart was hit by a pitch as Hutchinson built a 15-0 advantage.
Marien went 3-for-3 with three singles and an RBI. Duncan finished 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and six RBIs. Huenfeld was 2-for-2 with a single, a double and two RBIs.
The Blue Dragons added seven runs in the fourth inning. Duncan hit a two-run double, and Nick Glantz capped the scoring with his first home run of the season, a grand slam. Glantz went 1-for-2 in his pinch-hitting appearance.
On the mound, Hutchinson combined for a three-hitter. Karter Chamberlain started and struck out two in one inning. Wes Lyerly earned the win, allowing one hit and striking out two in one inning of relief. Seth Ainsworth tossed a scoreless third inning, allowing one hit while facing four batters.
Game 2 — Hutchinson 12, Highland 2 (5 innings)
Anthony Mazza hit his fourth home run of the season with a leadoff solo shot in the third inning to give Hutchinson a 3-0 lead. Aiden Marien added his first home run of the season, a three-run blast in the fourth inning.
Mazza went 2-for-4 with a double. Marien finished 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Jordan Kuhnau recorded three stolen bases, and Max Flowers drove in three runs.
Jeffrey Neill relieved starter Merek Yeager in the second inning and pitched four innings, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out two. Yeager allowed two hits in one inning of work.
Hochstein reached third on an error in the first inning, scoring Duncan to open the scoring. Flowers grounded out to score Hochstein for a 2-0 lead after two innings.
Highland scored its first run of the doubleheader in the second inning on an RBI double to cut the lead to 2-1.
In the third, Kuhnau scored during a successful stolen base by Huenfeld to make it 4-1. Huenfeld later stole home after a Purnell double when Highland appeared to relax on the play, extending the lead to 5-1. After Hochstein stole a base, Purnell advanced home to push the lead to 6-1.
Kuhnau scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. With two outs and the bases loaded, Flowers delivered a two-run infield single to extend the lead to 9-1. Marien’s three-run homer capped the scoring at 12-1.
Following Tuesday’s doubleheader against Northeast, Hutchinson wraps up nonconference play with a four-game series against Coffeyville. The Blue Dragons travel to Coffeyville for a doubleheader Thursday, Feb. 26, before hosting the Red Ravens on Saturday, Feb. 28.