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Dragons Complete First Sweep Of Barton Since 2016

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Hutchinson CC Sports Information

GREAT BEND – Sophomore Anthony Mazza tied a career hit for hits and tied a team record for career doubles to lead the No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College baseball team to a season series sweep of the Barton Cougars on Saturday at Lawson-Biggs Field.

Mazza scored a career-high four runs and hit a home run in the Blue Dragons’ 11-3 victory in Game 1 on Saturday. Mazza then wrapped out four hits, including a double and home run as the Blue Dragons completed the four-game sweep of the Cougars with a 21-11 run-rule win in eight innings.

Hutchinson swept Barton for the first time since 2016. The Blue Dragons improved to 34-9 overall and 16-4 in the Jayhawk West. Hutchinson travels to play Southeast Community College at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Beatrice, Nebraska and then will play Seward County next Thursday in Liberal and Saturday at Hobart-Detter Field.

Mazza’s eighth-inning double in Game 2 was his 39th career double, which tied A.J. Mustow for the Hutchinson career record for doubles. Mustow had 39 doubles in the 2023 and 2025 seasons for Hutchinson.

GAME 1 RECAP – Hutchinson 11, Barton 3
Six different Blue Dragons posted multiple-hit games to pace a 16-hit attack that included four extra-base hits, including a home run by Mazza.

Leadoff hitter Aidan Marien went 3 for 5 with three runs scored. First baseman Jordan Kuhnau went 3 for 4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs.

Mazza was 2 for 4 with a triple, home run, four runs scored and an RBI. Jackson Schanuel was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the sixth. Diesel Purnell and Finn Hochstein had two hits each.

Karter Chamberlain (5-1) tossed the first five innings for the victory. He allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking nine. Noah McCombs pitched the final two innings to close out the win. He allowed four hits and one run with three strikeouts.

Leading 1-0 after two innings, the Blue Dragons scored four runs in the third. Kuhnau and Schanuel had RBI singles and Purnell’s RBI single scored Schanuel to cap a four-inning and lead 5-0.

The Blue Dragons had another four-run inning in the sixth. Kuhnau had an RBI double, Schanuel had a two-run double and Cru Huenfeld added a run-scoring since to lead 10-2.

GAME 2 RECAP – Hutchinson 21, Barton 11 – 8 innings
The Blue Dragons trailed 4-1 after one inning, but scored 13 unanswered runs to lead 14-4 after five innings. Barton scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Hutchinson lead to 14-9, but scored three in the seventh and four in the eighth to complete the four-game sweep.

All nine Blue Dragon starters had at least one hit and 8 of 9 starters had at least one RBI.

Mazza led Hutchinson’s 17-hit attack, tying a career high with four hits in six at-bats. He hit a two-run home run in the fourth and tied the Blue Dragon career record for doubles in the eighth inning. Mazza scored four runs and drove in two RBIs.

Marien had two hits and scored four runs. Schanuel, Huenfeld, Eli Duncan and Hochstein all had two hits each. Purnell tied a career high four RBIs with two sacrifice flies and a two-run single in the eighth inning.

Hochstein hit his 11th home run of the season, a three-run blast in the seventh inning. Huenfeld also drove in three runs.

Cameron Curtis (4-0) pitched the first four innings to earn the win. Curtis allowed seven hits and four earned runs. He struck out two and walked three.