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DODGE CITY, Kan. -- It came down to a winner-take-all game for fourth place in the KJCCC West and home series for the opening round of the Region VI Tournament, but the Dodge City Community College baseball team got the job done thanks to timely hitting and another solid performance on the mound as the Conquistadors split with Seward County on a cold and windy Sunday - losing the first game 3-0 and winning game two 6-3.

After dropping the first game, the Conquistadors (40-16 overall, 19-13 KJCCC) and Saints (30-24, 18-14) were tied at 18-13 for fourth place. Sunday's second game was for the right to host the No. 5 seed out of the KJCCC East (which as of Sunday is Allen County) to open the regional tournament - a game the Conqs were able to come away with.

"I just talked to the guys after that (first game) and said, 'It's one game. We just need to come out and play from the beginning. If we play to our capabilities, we are going to get to stay home next weekend,'" DC3 coach Phil Stephenson said. 

The Conqs start the Region VI Tournament best-of-three series Saturday at Cavalier Field. A time has yet to be determined.

In Sunday's second game the Conqs were able to break a streak of 12 innings without scoring a run that dated back to the fifth inning of game two Saturday when Frankie Valle led off the inning with a single, Colbey Madewell sacrificed him to second and Jake Pederson ripped a single to score Valle and make it 1-0.

Following a Max Laney single and a Colton Onstott walk, Jason Nichols hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0 DC3.

The Saints got a run in the fourth off of DC3 starter Cole Brandon and took the lead in the fifth on a two-run double by Justin Graff-Rowe to make it 3-2 Seward County.

The lead didn't last long, however, as DC3's Laney walked, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Ricky Trammell to make it 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth.

"I thought that was key that we tied it right back up," Stephenson said. "We were then able to finally put up another crooked number and get some key hits."

That crooked number came in the seventh when Jason Nichols hit an RBI single to left to give DC3 the lead for good before Ivan Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. Laney came through with a two-out RBI single in the eighth and it was more than enough for Brandon and reliever Dalton Harvey.

Brandon (3-2) got the win, going 7.2 innings and giving up three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Harvey picked up his second save of the year, pitching the final 1.1 innings and giving up just one hit and a walk with two strikeouts.

Valle finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles for DC3 while Trammell was 3-for-4 with an RBI, Pederson was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs and Laney was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

Nic Ricigliano picked up the loss, going 6.1 innings and giving up five runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Graff-Rowe finished 3-for-5 with two RBI for the Saints.

The win was DC3's 40th on the season, increasing its regular-season record for victories. The school's all-time single-season record (including the postseason) is 42 - set last season during the Conqs' run to the JUCO World Series (that team had 35 wins at the end of the regular season).

"I'm really proud of these guys," Stephenson said. "They have battled. We aren't a real explosive team, but for the most part we pitch it real well and we play good defense. When we've done the little things well, we've been successful."

In the first game the Conqs were blanked for only the second time this season as Seward starter Jared Biddy tossed a four-hit shutout with two strikeouts and a walk.

Laney, Nichols, Onstott and Richard Fullerton accounted for the Conqs' four hits.

Matthew Perea pitched well, but took the tough loss - going the distance and giving up three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Seward's Chad Kennedy, Jared Ledbetter and Brian Tims were each 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Seward is likely to play its opening round series at Johnson County.