Hutchinson CC Sports Information
DODGE CITY – After dropping a one-run game in the first half of an important Jayhawk Conference doubleheader to Dodge City on Saturday at Legends Park, the Hutchinson Community College softball team answered back in a big way in the second game.
Trailing by as many as four runs early in Game 1, the Blue Dragons’ rally fell short, falling to the Conquistadors 4-3. But in Game 2, freshman pitcher Haley Ediger twirled a two-hit shutout and the Blue Dragon offense gave her plenty of run support in a 9-0 five-inning run-rule victory over the Conquistadors.
The Blue Dragons improved to 32-12 overall and maintained their two-game lead over Dodge City for first place in the KJCCC with a 21-5 overall record. The Blue Dragons play host to Garden City at 3 and 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Fun Valley.
GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 9, Dodge City 0, 5 innings
Ediger (6-4) turned in her second-straight impressive performance. In her first start since March 31, Ediger tossed her first career complete-game shutout. Over five innings, Ediger allowed two hits and one walk with a hit batter and two strikeouts.
Ediger’s only jam came in the third inning when Dodge City had runners at first and third with one out. But Ediger got out of the jam with an infield pop-up and flyball out. Ediger used only 64 pitches in her complete-game performance.
Offensively, three Blue Dragon hitters had two-hit games as Hutchinson out-hit Dodge City 10-2.
Riley Dreher was 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored. Leyla O’Connor was 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Katelyn Pegram was 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.
The Dragons took a 1-0 lead on O’Connor’s RBI single in the first to score Kaibryn Kruger.
Hutchinson then scored five runs in the second – three on an RBI single by Topping and two runs scored on a Dodge City throwing error. Kruger then roped a two-run double in a three-run third inning that gave the Blue Dragons a 9-0 lead.
With two doubles in Game 1, Dreher extended her single-season doubles record to 25.
GAME 1 RECAP – Dodge City 4, Hutchinson 3
Dodge City scored three runs against Blue Dragon starter Aubree Thomas (11-2) and built a 4-0 lead after four innings.
Hutchinson’s offense sputtered through five innings, but the Dragons finally got on the board when Kruger hit a one-out home run, her eighth of the season. The Dragons cut the Dodge lead to 4-2 on a Tailor Golly RBI single.
Then in the seventh, pinch hitter Macey Stephenson reached on a two-base error and scored when Addi Lutz beat out an infield single and a throwing error allowed Stephenson to score to cut the Dodge lead to 4-3. The Dragons couldn’t complete the comeback,
The Dragons were limited to four hits for a second-straight game with singles from Lutz, Golly and Gabby Stauffer and Kruger’s home run.
Thomas worked two-plus innings in the circle for the Blue Dragons. Alyssa Rogers pitched 1 1-3 innings of relief and Mia Williams went 2 2-3 innings of scoreless relief.