DERBY, Kan.—The Hutchinson High School Baseball team split with Derby Tuesday at the Derby Panther Baseball Field winning the first game 3-2 in exciting fashion while seeing the late game slip away losing 9-2 to the Panthers.
Mother nature delayed the start of the double-header with a small thunderstorm around 3:30pm that produced lightning within 2 miles of Panther field.
Hutch High Softball at Derby was postponed by the thunderstorm as Derby's field was ruled unplayable. That game will be played at a later date
Game 1 recap: Hutchinson 3, Derby 2.
The Hutchinson Salthawks nabbed the lead late in the game in a 3-2 victory over Derby on Tuesday. The game was tied at two with the Salthawks batting in the top of the fifth when Hutch High's Carter Morgan scored on a Panther error giving the Salthawks their first and only lead of the game 3-2.
The pitching was strong for both Hutch and Derby. Hutchinson's Sophomore Lakin Franz went 6 full innings to get the win. Mercer Thatcher took the loss in relief for Derby.
Starting off in the first inning, Derby got their offense going. Saben Seager doubled to center field and then scored after Luke Westerman hit the ball hard off the Hutch High short stop Caiden Beavers glove to drive in Seager for the first run of the ball game.
Hutchinson evened things up at two in the top of the fourth inning. A sacrifice bunt by Jax Heneha scored Mason Seitz from 3rd to tie the game at 2-2. Nolan Cunningham had scored earlier in the inning.
Kinser Newquist threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen.
Carter Morgan went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Hutchinson in hitting.
Game 2 recap: Derby 9, Hutch 2.
In game two of the night, Hutchinson fell behind early and couldn't come back in a 9-2 loss to Derby in the night cap game. Derby took the lead on a single in the second inning. The Salthawks struggled to contain the high-powered offense of Derby, giving up nine runs. Derby opened up scoring in the first inning. Drake Thatcher lined out, scoring one run on a fielder's choice.
Then Derby scored four runs blowing the game open in the sixth inning. Thatcher, Kade Sheldon, and Colten Ruedy each drove in runs during the inning.
Clayton Knoblock was credited with the victory for Derby. The starter surrendered zero runs on one hit over three innings, striking out five and walking one.
Luke Westerman and Thatcher entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief. Bentley Eckhoff took the loss for the Salthawks. Eckhoff allowed seven hits and five runs over two and two-thirds innings, walking one.
There was a bright spot for Hutch in game two as Kinser Newquist went deep to hit a 2 run homer in the sixth inning. Newquist , Lakin Franz , and Carter Morgan each collected one hit to lead Salthawks in batting. Derby totaled nine hits. Karson Klima and Ruedy all managed multiple hits for Derby.
Next action for Hutch High is Friday as they travel to Maize South for a double header.
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