HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson High School baseball team finished the regular season strong on Tuesday night with a pair of wins over the Derby Panthers, 5-0 in game one, and 7-6 in game two.
The Salthawks end the regular season 17-9 overall, 8-4 in the AVCTL-I. The 17 wins are the most by a Salthawks team since the 2004 team finished 17-4.
Hutchinson received a dominant pitching start in game one, and then rallied from down 6-0 to win game two in walk-off fashion, 7-6.
The two wins over the Panthers are the first sweep of Derby by Hutchinson since the 2013 season.
Game 1: Hutchinson 5, Derby 0
Eastyn Keeler made his final start on the mound at Hobart-Detter Field one to remember. The senior left-handed pitcher tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout, striking out a season-high six in the win.
Both starting pitchers were cruising right along until the bottom of the fifth, when Derby starter Hudson Halstead, who had only allowed two baserunners through the first four frames, struggled in the fifth.
Halstead walked three and hit a batter in the inning, but the biggest blow was a three-run inside-the-park home run hit by Carter Morgan into the right field corner. The Salthawks scored all five of their runs in the fifth inning.
Derby - 000 000 0 - 0 2 1
Hutchinson - 000 050 x - 5 3 1
WP: Eastyn Keeler (3-3). LP: Hudson Halstead. Time: 1:22.
---------------------------------------------------------
Game 2: Hutchinson 7, Derby 6
Jack Yoder delivered the hit of his life, a single down the right field line to score Caiden Beavers from second base to complete the comeback and complete the sweep of the Panthers.
After Derby scored four in the first and two more in the second, Lakin Franz tossed six scoreless innings of relief, keeping the Salthawks in the game.
The Salthawks scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth on five hits, including a double by Beavers, singles by Bleything, Parks and Yoder, and the tying single from JuJu Lyons.
Derby - 420 000 0 - 6 11 4
Hutchinson - 000 105 1 - 7 9 0
WP: Lakin Franz (2-1). LP: Jace Hambleton. Time: 2:08.