By Hutchinson CC Sports Information
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – Sophomore pitcher Ethan Giesbrecht won his 11th game of the season and sophomores Blake Bradford and Luis Pimentel-Guerrero combined for seven RBIs as the No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College baseball team rolled past the Labette Cardinals on Thursday at Hobart-Detter Field.
The Blue Dragons hammered out 14 hits and stole eight bases to cruise to a 10-0 run-rule victory over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the Region VI Tournament opening-round series.
Game 2 of the series will be at 1 p.m. on Friday at Hobart-Detter Field.
BLUE DRAGON BASEBALL
No. 15 Hutchinson (45-11) vs. Labette (14-36) – Region 6 Opening-Round Series Game 2
When: Friday, May 10, 2024
Time: 1 p.m.
Admission: Free
Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 12:50 p.m.
Link: https://www.kjcccsports.net/hutchcc/?B=1081431
With the victory, the Blue Dragons, now 45-11, tie the 2000 Blue Dragons for the third-most wins in program history. Labette fell to 14-36.
Giesbrecht (11-2) worked the first six innings and was part of his fourth shutout of the season (1 complete game and three combined shutouts). The sophomore starter was in trouble in the first inning when a walk, error and hit batter loaded the bases with one out. Giesbrecht got out of the jam with a flyout to shallow left field and a strikeout.
Giesbrecht gave up a single in the second and a single and walk in the third, but a rare 5-4-6 double play ended the third inning and the Blue Dragon sophomore went on to retire the final 10 batters he faced.
Giesbrecht allowed two hits over six shutout innings. He struck out five wand walked two. Ashton Perkins struck out two and allowed a hit and walk in a scoreless seventh to close out the game.
The Blue Dragons started giving Giesbrecht some offensive support in the second inning. Jordan Tucker had an RBI infield single in the second inning to get the Dragons on the board. Pimentel-Guerrero then hit a three-run opposite-field double down the left-field line to give Hutchinson a 4-0 lead.
The Dragons made it 7-0 with three runs in the third inning. Bradford hit a two-run infield single and pinch hitter Jon Davis sacrifice fly to push the lead to seven runs. Bradford’s two-run single through the left side of the infield in the fourth inning made it 9-0. Tucker scored on the back end of a double-steal attempt in the sixth to make it 10-0.
Cooper Wesslund went 3 for 3 to lead Hutchinson’s 14-hit attack, his team-high 24th multi-hit game this season. Wesslund also had two stolen bases.
Bradford had his fourth game of four or more RBIs this season with four driven in on 2 for 3 at the plate with a walk.
Pimentel-Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 18 games going 1 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. Pimentel-Guerrero tied Michael Helman (2017) for the fourth-longest consecutive game hitting streak in Blue Dragon history.
Colin Cymbalista extended his current hitting streak to 10 games after a 2 for 4 game with a double.
Tyson Vassart doubled as well. All nine Blue Dragon starters had at lead one hit.
The Dragons were 8 of 9 in stolen bases on Thursday. Tucker had a career high three steals to lead the Blue Dragons.
Kael Babin had one steal to tie Carlos Akins for the Blue Dragon career stolen bases with 73 career steals.
The Blue Dragons also broke the program record for runs scored in a season with 569.
POSTGAME NOTES
+ The Blue Dragons are now 22-14 all-time in the best-of-3 opening-round format which started in 2014, including 7-1 in four series vs. Labette.
+ The 2024 Blue Dragons became the first team in program history to reach 200 stolen bases in one season, now with 201.
+ The Dragons extend their season team record for hit by pitches with 168.
+ The Dragons now have 19 games this season of five or more stolen bases.
+ The Blue Dragons are 23-2 this season at Hobart-Detter Field.
+ Now with a 15-4 career pitching record for his career, Ethan Giesbrecht ties Craig Reed (1999-2000), Shawn Lewick (2009-10) and Kyle Simonds (2013-14) for fifth on the career wins list.
+ Now with 125 career strikeouts, Giesbrecht moved past Simonds into eighth place on the career strikeout list and with his 85 seas strikeouts, he ties Max Simpson (2015) for seventh on the single-season strikeout list.
+ The 2024 Blue Dragons are now fourth in single-season history with 616 hits for the season. They are seventh in season walks with 248 base on balls.
