Rothe slams record 3 homers:

ROTHE SLAMS RECORD 3 HOMERS; LADY DRAGONS SPLIT WITH HESSTON

Freshman catcher Sarah Rothe's individual performance on Tuesday against Hesston College will go down as one of the best single-day overall performances in Hutchinson Community College softball history.

Rothe set a Lady Dragon team record with three home runs in one game in a 7-6 Lady Dragon loss to Hesston College on Tuesday afternoon at Fun Valley. Rothe had a two-run double in a 10-0 Hutchinson victory in Game 1 of the Region VI regular-season doubleheader with the Larks.

Rothe is the second Lady Dragon this season to have a multi-home run game. Sophomore Makenzi Shackley had the other against NOC-Enid in February. But Rothe is the first to have three home runs in a single game.

The freshman from Hutchinson had a spectacular afternoon and behind the plate. Rothe was a combined 4 for 6 with six RBIs, 14 total bases, a slugging percentage of 2.333, a double and three homers. Rothe also threw out three Hesston basestealers in the doubleheader. She has thrown out five basestealers in her last three games.

Rothe was also the receiver for sophomore Sidney Dey's second-straight shutout since returning from injury on Saturday against Kansas City.

Dey (2-0) scattered five hits, struck out two and walked one in her second-straight complete game.

GAME 1 RECAP

Dey allowed just six baserunners in the game and only one reached third base. Dey finished the game with a flourish retiring the final eight batters she faced.

Offensively, the Lady Dragons had 11 total hits which included seven doubles and a triple.

Leadoff hitters Lacey Hudson was 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. Shackley was 2 for 2 with a double, triple and two RBIs, Natalie Johnson had a double, going 2 for 3 with two runs. Kailey Johnson was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs.

HCC scored single runs in the first two innings and busted the game open with seven runs in the third. Shackley started the big inning with an RBI triple. Rylee Nave and Jenkins had RBI hits ahead of Rothe's two-run double that made it 6-0. Hudson capped the 12-batter inning with a two-out RBI double.

GAME 2 RECAP

Rothe's huge game in the nightcap started with a solo home run in the second that tied the game at 2-2. After HCC fell behind 7-2, Rothe's fifth-inning solo shot to opening the frame pulled HCC within four. Her record-setting two-run bomb to left in the bottom of the seventh pulled Hutchinson within 7-6, but the rally stopped there as the Larks earned the split.

Hesston built that 7-2 lead on the power of No. 9 hitter Lea Daniels' two-out grand slam in the fourth inning.

Hesston out-hit Hutchinson 12-8 in the second game, getting four extra base hits.

Nave drove in a pair of runs with a double and sacrifice fly.

Hesston pitcher Cheyenne Cherrubini struck out two and walked none.

Sophomore Kaila Pickens (0-6) gave up nine hits and seven turns runs in 4 1-3 innings. She struck out two and walked none.

The Lady Dragons have a Jayhawk East road trip this weekend with a doubleheader at Allen on Friday and Neosho County on Saturday.