HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Ethan Giesbrecht struck out 11 batters over seven dominant innings to lead the Hutchinson Monarchs to an 8-1 victory over the Haysville Aviators on Tuesday night at Hobart-Detter Field.
Giesbrecht, who scattered just three hits without issuing a walk, earned the win in one of the strongest pitching performances of the summer for the Monarchs. The right-hander fanned at least one batter in each inning he pitched and worked out of early trouble in the second inning after back-to-back hits.
Camden Cornelius closed it out with two scoreless innings in relief, striking out two while giving up two hits.
The Monarchs (21-5) wasted no time getting on the board, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. After an error and a single by Jacob Gutierrez, Drew Bugner drove in two with a single to right. Keegan Demmer added a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.
Hutchinson added two more runs in the second on a fielder’s choice by Gutierrez and another sac fly from AJ Mustow. The Monarchs pushed the lead to 6-1 in the third when Demmer scored on a double play.
Haysville (17-10) got its lone run in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Tanner Fallwell. Aviators starter Beau Grant took the loss, surrendering six runs over three innings before giving way to the bullpen.
The Monarchs added two more insurance runs in the fourth and eighth innings, including a run-scoring groundout from JJ Spafford.
Hutchinson has now won 10 of its last 12 games and will wrap up a six-game homestand tonight against the Great Bend Bat Cats at Hobart-Detter Field.
First pitch is set for 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action live on HutchPost.com.
Two special events are scheduled for late next week. The Monarchs will be hosting a food drive on July 18th to benefit the Reno County Food Bank, so bring your non-perishable food items that night, which is the last regular season game versus the Wichita Wildcats. Also, mark your calendars for July 19th as Hobart-Detter Field will be the host site for the Jayhawk Collegiant League All-Star game beginning at 7pm.
The NBC World Series begins on July 24th at Eco Stadium in Wichita. Pool seeding will be announced soon. By finishing last season as a finalist, the Monarchs receive an automatic bid, but still are awaiting seeding.