Mason beats La Salle to advance to regional final

Mason senior Rodney Hutchison threw a complete-game four-hitter and delivered the game-winning run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning to lift the Comets to a 2-1 victory against La Salle in a Division I regional semifinal game at Marge Schott Stadium.

The win moves Mason (23-7) into today’s regional championship game against Moeller (27-3), the state’s top-ranked team and winner of seven regional titles in the last eight seasons. The Crusaders beat Lakota West 5-0 in Thursday’s first semifinal.

Hutchison, a University of North Carolina recruit, struck out six and walked one to run his record to 8-1.

The lone run he allowed came in the fourth inning when La Salle’s Tim Casey scored on Eric Green’s groundout to give the Lancers (24-7) a 1-0 lead.

Mason got the equalizer in the top of the fifth when Tyler Krabbe plated Logan Williams with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Michael Treft and Dylan Bryant drew one-out walks and Krabbe singled to load the bases for Hutchison, who flew out to center to score Treft.

Today’s regional final will be a rematch from a year ago when Moeller prevailed 4-3.

The Comets have only won the regional once in school history, in 1987, when they went on to finish second in the state.

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