By John Mesh
The Hutchinson Blue Dragons stayed alive in the Region 6 Plains District Tournament with a 9-1 victory over Barton Community College Wednesday afternoon at Salina’s Dean Evans Stadium.
Hutchinson will play Kansas City Kansas at 10 a.m. Thursday. KCK lost to Johnson County 9-1 (8 innings).
No. 5 seed Hutchinson (40-20) eliminated No. 1 seed Barton Community College. The Barton CC Cougars finished the season with a 42-13 record.
Trenton Roehler (7-3) started on the pitching mound for Hutchinson. He was replaced in the bottom of the seventh inning by Collin Flores.
Roehler pitched six innings, allowed one earned run on three hits, struck out six and walked two. Flores pitched one inning. He walked one and allowed one hit.
The Barton Cougars used four pitchers Hutchinson collected 11 hits. Barton starting pitcher Anthony Treto got the loss and his final record is 5-4. The Cougars committed three errors.
The Blue Dragons took the 2-0 lead on a two-run homer by Anthony Mazza in the top of the first inning.
In the top of the second, Hutchinson made the score 3-0. Leo Griffin singled, went to third base on a throwing error and scored on Scotty Fegen’s RBI groundout to second base.
Hutchinson scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning to lead Barton 8-0. Cael Hamrick had an RBI single, but the big hit was a three-run double by Mazza, who scored on a ground-rule double by AJ Mustow.
Barton got on the scoreboard with one run in the bottom of the fourth. John Connors doubled and scored on Kyle Walker’s sacrifice fly.
Hutchinson made the final score 9-1 with one run in the top of the seventh inning on a squeeze bunt by Elias Duncan that scored Griffin.
Mazza went 3-for-5 with five RBI and scored two runs. Griffin went 2-for-3 and Hamrick 2-for-4.