WICHITA - The Hutchinson Monarchs were on the ropes Tuesday night against the El Dorado Broncos in the Sunflower Summer Showcase at Eck Stadium.
Down two runs, the Broncos had the bases loaded with two out and a 1-0 count on Jordan Boyer. The game the game then went into a 43-minute weather delay. After the delay, Noah Kelly got a groundout to get out of the jam and Conor Craig's seventh-inning leadoff homer sparked a seven-run Monarch explosion as Hutchinson defeated El Dorado 8-4.
The Monarchs extend their winning streak to five games and improve to 7-2. This was Hutchinson's first-ever win over El Dorado in six tries..
The Monarchs sent 12 batters to the plate in that huge seven inning, the largest single inning of 2019 so far.
After Craig homered to left to pull the Monarchs within 3-2, Mason Lowe and Brayden Whitchurch followed with singles. Dylan Nedved singled home Lowe with tying run. Colton Cowser gave Hutch a 5-3 lead on a double off the center-field wall to plate with Whitchurch and Nedved. Taylor Barber followed with an infeild single. Garrett Stephens then become the seventh-straight Monarch to reach, doubling in Cowser for a 6-3 lead. Ryan Stoecklein and Lowe added RBI singles to complete a seven-run on nine-hit inning for an 8-3 lead.
El Dorado scored a run in the seventh and had the potential for a big inning, but Kelley got out of the seventh with minimal damage and then posted scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
Kelly (2-0) worked the final four innings to earn the victory. He allowed three hits and one run with six strikeouts and five walks.
Starter L.J. McDonough had a big rebound performance from last week's tough outinig at Eck Stadium. McDonough went five innings in a no decision with seven strikeouts in five innings. He allowed three runs on five hits.
The Monarchs had only one hit through four innings and four through five before racking up nine from the seventh inning on.
Cowser was 3 for 5 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs to lead Hutchinson's 14-hit attack. Whitchurch, Nedved, Stoecklein and Lowe had two hits each.
