Baseball Falls to No. 18 Hutchinson in Conference-Opening Doubleheader
The Colby baseball team opened conference play on the road Thursday against No. 18 Hutchinson, dropping both games of a doubleheader to the nationally ranked Blue Dragons. Hutchinson used early offense and strong pitching in both contests to secure a 12–1 run-rule victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 9–0 win in the nightcap.
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
|
|
2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
|
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | 9 | 10 | 1 |
HUTCHINSON, Kan. - The Colby baseball team opened conference play on the road Thursday (March 5) against No. 18 Hutchinson, dropping both games of a doubleheader to the nationally ranked Blue Dragons. Hutchinson used early offense and strong pitching in both contests to secure a 12–1 run-rule victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 9–0 win in the nightcap.
Game 1
Hutchinson jumped out early and never looked back as the Blue Dragons defeated the Trojans 12–1 in five innings in the conference opener. The hosts struck first in the bottom of the first inning, scoring two runs on an RBI groundout by Jordan Kuhnau followed by a sacrifice fly from Jackson Schanuel to take a 2–0 lead. Hutchinson added another run in the second inning to extend the margin to three.
Colby got on the board in the top of the third inning. Jackson Tjart reached base and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Turner Zdunich, cutting the deficit to 3–1.
The Blue Dragons responded with their biggest inning in the bottom half of the frame. Hutchinson plated six runs highlighted by a three-RBI double from Elias Duncan and a two-run home run from Finn Hochstein to extend the lead to 9–1. Hutchinson added three more runs in the fifth inning, including a two-run home run from Ty Wilson, to close out the run-rule victory.
Colby finished with two hits in the game, coming from Charlie Langford and Jacob Mraz. Isaiah Sadorus took the loss on the mound for the Trojans, allowing nine runs (seven earned) over 3.2 innings while striking out two. Brody Torkelson and Jaxon Nielsen also saw action in relief.
Game 2
In the second game of the day, Hutchinson used a balanced offensive attack and strong pitching to complete the sweep with a 9–0 victory.
The Blue Dragons took control early with two runs in the first inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Anthony Mazza and a run-scoring single from Cru Huenfeld. Hutchinson added two more runs in the third inning when Jordan Kuhnau connected on a two-run home run to push the lead to 4–0.
The hosts broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring four runs to extend the advantage to 8–0. Jackson Schanuel delivered a two-RBI triple during the inning before Hutchinson added two more runs on a fielder's choice and an RBI single. An RBI single from Mazza in the sixth inning capped the scoring for the Blue Dragons.
Colby recorded four hits in the contest, with Jacob Mraz, Callum Thomson, Anthony Deblois, and Karson Cassidy each collecting one. The Trojans also drew one walk while striking out ten times against the Hutchinson pitching staff. Rory MacDonald took the loss for Colby after allowing eight runs over 4.1 innings while striking out five. Thomas Loubier and Tyson Mosenteen combined to throw the final 3.2 innings in relief.
Despite the tough conference-opening doubleheader, the Trojans will look to regroup as the series shifts to Colby. The Trojans will host on Saturday (March 7) for two more games as the Trojans aim to bounce back and even the conference series on their home field starting at 1 p.m.