|
HCC Sports Information
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Hutchinson Community College baseball
team saw a five-run lead slip away to Cowley in the final two innings on
Wednesday only to rally in the bottom of the ninth for a 7-6 victory over
Jayhawk East-leading Cowley College at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Blue Dragons led 6-1 after seven innings
on the shoulders of a strong pitching performance by freshman Jason
Borchardt. But Cowley rallied with two runs in the eighth inning and three
more in the ninth to tie the game at 6-all.
Sophomore Ben Ferrell, who committed an error
in the top of the ninth, got things going for HCC in the bottom of the ninth
with an infield single. After being scarified to second by a bunt by
sophomore Matthew Yerby and an intentional walk to cleanup hitter Clint
Bieberle, Ferrell was still at second with two out when sophomore Stuart
Hoover hit a high drive to left that Cowley’s John Chaisson couldn’t handle
at the left-field wall to drive in the winning run.
“It was a fastball out and I hit it off the
end and barely got enough of it so they wouldn’t catch it,” Hoover said. “I
didn’t think I hit it that well. I guess the wind helped me out and so did
the baseball gods.”
Hutchinson (30-11) won its fifth game in a
row and has won 17 of its last 18. The Dragons have now won 30 or more games
for the 12th-straight year.
HCC will now meet No. 12 Seward County in a
four-game Jayhawk West showdown for first place on Saturday at Sunday at
Hobart-Detter Field. The Blue Dragons (19-5 Jayhawk West) trail the Saints
by one game in the west standings.
Borchardt pitched six strong innings, getting
three of Hutchinson’s season-high four double plays in back of him to keep
the Tigers (22-7) at arm’s length. Borchardt allowed five hits, one earned
run and walked four while striking out two. Key to Borchardt’s performance
was the fact that he got 10 groundball outs of the 18 he recorded.
“We expect a lot out of Jason,” HCC head
coach Kyle Crookes said. “He was in our conference rotation at the start of
the season and he’s struggled a little bit. He’s got a lot of work to do
with commanding a breaking ball and throwing a change-up.
“That’s two starts in a row where he’s
competed and given us quality innings. He did a really good job. Cowley’s a
really good hitting team. He got groundball outs and that got double plays.
He’s getting better during the season and we expect him to get better.”
Borchardt wound up getting a no-decision
after the bullpen struggled to close out the Tigers in the eighth and ninth
innings. Sophomore Zach Biery allowed two runs and two hits in two innings
of work. Freshman Ryan Frevert, who could have had the save if it weren’t
for the ninth-inning error, allowed three runs in the ninth.
Sophomore Ryan Scoles allowed the game-tying
hit to Frank Spect when he laced a double to right field. After that, Scoles
struck out Tom O’Gorman and struck Tyson Parks out looking to end the
inning. Hoover’s two-out, run-scoring double in the bottom of the ninth gave
Scoles (3-2) the victory.
“Early in the year, that’s something that I
don’t think we would have responded from,” Crookes said. “In the last month,
they have figured out a way to put themselves in a position to win after
giving up a lead. That’s a good character trait to have.”
The Dragons came out of the gate like the
team that scored 63 runs in a four-game series against Pratt last weekend
with five runs in the first two innings of Cowley starter Chris O’Brien.
Redshirt freshman Adam Roy hit a three-run
home run to left field in the first inning for a 3-0 lead. Then the Dragons
took advantage of two Cowley errors to plate Ferrell and Yerby in the second
for a 5-0 lead.
Cowley scored its first run when a leadoff
walk to start the fourth came back to bite Borchardt. Luke Zeller scored
with one out on a Shane Azzapardi single through the right side to but the
HCC lead to 5-1. Borchardt got out the jam when he coaxed Bryson Ramsey into
a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.
Hutch got that run back in the fifth inning
when Bieberle singled to lead off the inning, stole second, went to third on
a Jamell Cervantez sacrifice bunt and scored on Hoover’s double to right
field for a 6-1 lead.
Cowley out-hit Hutchinson 10-8. Bieberle,
Hoover and Ferrell had two hits each. Roy drove in three and Hoover had two
RBIs out.
GAME NOTES
– HCC swept the season series with Cowley 2-0, defeating the Tigers 8-3 on
March 6. … Roy’s first-inning homer was his fourth of the season. … Bieberle
stole three of HCC’s four stolen bases and has 18 for the season. … Hoover
extended his current hit streak to six games. Yerby and Bieberle have
five-game hit streaks. … Hoover, Roy and Eric DeBlanc are tied for the team
lead in multi-hit games with 13. … Hoover had his 13th multi-RBI game. …
After starting off 1-5 in one-run games, HCC has won five straight one-run
games.
<BOXSCORE>
OTHER QUOTES
Head coach Kyle Crookes
On Stuart Hoover …
“Stuart didn’t have his best day, but he did
it when it counted. On any other day, Cowley’s left fielder probably makes
that catch, but I will take it the way that it is and I will take a win.
He’s a guy we certainly like to have up in those situations. He hit of off
the end of the bat and the wind helped it a little bit and it was just
enough. We will take that every time.”
On the ninth-inning error that extended
the game …
“I want it hit to Ben Ferrell every game. If
the situation happens nine more times, Ben will make that play.”
Sophomore Stuart Hoover
On rallying in the ninth to win …
“We always stay together. We stay focused.
When the other team scored, we score. We execute and score runs.”
On his hitting this season …
“I feel really relaxed. The ball looks like a
bowling ball right now. I’m really focused and I’m getting the job done.” |
