T-Birds’ season ends on walk-off homer

WICHITA — What had been a groundbreaking season for the Cloud County Community College baseball team ended abruptly with one swing of Logan Satori's bat.
Cloud County had posted the most wins (34) since the 1989 team, earned the right to host a first-round series in the Region VI playoffs for the first time and advanced in the playoffs for the first time since joining the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
It all ended when Sartori hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Hutchinson Community College a 14-12 win over the Thunderbirds in an elimination game in the playoffs Friday afternoon at Eck Stadium.
“It was a wild elimination playoff baseball type of game,” Cloud County coach Eric Gilliland said, “I think our guys emptied the tank, went toe-to-toe with the number one seed in the tournament, but unfortunately, ended up on the wrong side of it. I couldn't be more proud of our effort.”
Cloud County finished its season at 34-24.
“I think we showed this weekend, playing against three conference champions, that anything is possible with where we're heading,” Gilliland said, “This was a special group, and we knew it from the fall that these were the right type of guys. I told them after the game how proud of them I was as baseball players and people, and of their ability to handle adversity and buy in. It's been a special year with a special group.”
Hutchinson (44-21) went on to edge Barton Community College Friday night and defeat Colby 8-4 on Saturday before losing 14-1 to Cowley College in the championship game on Saturday.
Cowley (45-12) downed Colby 10-1 on Friday and then rolled over Hutchinson to advance to the National Junior College World Series.
Cloud County, looking to stay alive after losing in the second round to Cowley, jumped on Hutchinson starter Dylan Nedved for eight runs in the top of the first inning.
The T-Birds loaded the bases, and Clayton Loranger scored on a ground ball by Grant Schmidt.
Kade Wallace then singled home two runs.
A base hit by Griffin Larsen got another run home.
Davis Pratt would score on an error.
Conner Laux knocked in a run with a single. He would steal home.
Alex Rice singled to drive in Loranger.
Nedved gave up eight runs, four earned, on seven hits in two-thirds of an inning.
“I didn't see that coming,” Gilliland said, “Nedved was very good last time, but we had a lot of well placed balls more than anything. Lot of big swings and big plays that got us off to the start we wanted.”
Hutchinson got a three-run home run by Zane Schmidt in the bottom of the first inning.
One run in the second inning and three in the third left the Blue Dragons trailing just 8-7.
Schmidt tripled to drive in Rice in the top of the fourth inning, and Cloud County led 9-7.
The T-Birds added two runs in the top of the fifth inning to make it 10-7.
Larsen hit a solo home run in the inning.
Loranger scored on a double by Rice.
Hutchinson closed the gap to 11-8 with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Blue Dragons closed the gap to 11-10 on a two-run home run by Max McGuire in the bottom of the seventh.
Schmidt singled home Rice in the top of the eighth inning to give Cloud County a 12-10 cushion.
Hutchinson scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull even at 12-12.
After the T-Birds went scoreless in the top of the ninth, Sartori delivered the winning blow for the Blue Dragons in the bottom of the inning.
Cloud County used four pitchers in the game. Austen Seidel started and went two innings. He gave up seven runs on seven hits, struck out two and walked two.
Trey Asher allowed three runs on six hits, struck out one and walked two in five innings.
Bradan Pierce worked two-thirds of an inning and gave up two runs on two hits and walked three.
Corben Peters surrendered two runs on one hit and walked one in a third of an inning in taking the loss.
Ryan Summers relieved Nedved for Hutchinson and allowed three runs on six hits and struck out three in four and a third innings.
Miguel Reyes Jr. got the win for the Blue Dragons. He gave up just one run on two hits, struck out seven and walked one in four innings.
Cloud County pounded out 15 hits.
Rice had four hits in four at bats, drove in two runs and scored three.
Schmidt was 2-for-5 with three runs batted in.
Loranger had three hits and scored three runs.
Larsen had two hits and knocked in two runs.
Wallace drove in two runs.