Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GREAT BEND, Kan. — A scrappy, injury-depleted Dodge City Community College softball team's chances of upsetting No. 10 Barton on Saturday seemed slim as its 7-3 lead was trimmed to 7-6 in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third and no outs.
 
However, a Conquistador team that hasn't caught many breaks this season got one when Barton popped a ball up near second base – right where DC3 shortstop Kayla Frazier was and she stepped on second before the runner o could return to double up the Cougars.
 
Kim Herron got the final out on a fly ball to center as the Conquistadors completed the upset 7-6 victory to split the doubleheader with the Cougars at Cougar Field (DC3 dropped game one 14-6 in six innings).
 
For the Conqs, it snapped a four-game losing skid and a stretch where they had lost nine of their last 10 games with five of those losses by two runs or less.

"Mentally we needed this," DC3 coach Howie Smith said. "I don't even know what I could've said if we lost that last game. You can only lose so many close games before you start to doubt yourself. But these kids have been battling and playing so hard and they deserved this. ... 

"We haven't got many breaks this season, but the softball gods shined down on us at the end of the game for sure."
 
The Conqs (15-9 overall, 7-11 KJCCC) didn't even look like they were going to get that final break on the double play before catching one on the batter prior. Barton's (42-4, 13-3) Brittany Wood hit what looked like it was going to be a walk-off, three-run home run before the ball hit off the top of the fence and bounced back to make it 7-6 with runners on second and third.

Prior to the seventh inning drama, the game was tied 1-1 before DC3 took control in the fifth inning when a Taryn Garza RBI single, Heather Amen RBI single and a Candace Bollig RBI double gave the Conqs a 4-1 lead.

DC3 tacked on two more in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by Garza to make it 6-1 Conqs.

Barton cut the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the sixth before DC3 scored what turned out to be a crucial insurance run in the seventh on a Cougar error and held on for the one-run victory.

Kim Herron picked up the win, giving up six runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Garza finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and two runs for the Conqs, Kaylie Schoendaller hit a home run while Herron and Marina Kelly had two hits apiece.

Holly Posegate got the loss, going the distance and giving up seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits with seven strikeouts and a walk.

In game one the Conqs trailed 5-3 going to the bottom of the third and 9-6 heading into the bottom of the fifth before the Cougars scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth to run rule DC3 14-6 in six innings.

Garza led DC3 at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a home run and two runs scored, Bollig went 1-for-4 with homer and two RBI and Kelly was 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Herron got the loss in the first game, going 3.2 innings and giving up nine runs (seven earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Barton blasted six home runs in the first game with Jayden Gonzales hitting two.

Madison Didion got the win, going all six innings and giving up six runs (four earned) on seven hits with 11 strikeouts and no walks.

While the Conqs lost the first game - Smith was pleased with the way his team hit the ball.

"To score 12 runs against a pitching staff like that is something," Smith said. "We worked really hard on hitting Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the work paid off. ... I told them before the game we have to step it up. We only have three weeks left in the season and we are a lot closer than people think we are. I think today we showed that."

DC3 returns to action Wednesday when it hosts Garden City.