CLARENDON, Texas - Taking advantage of a total nine Clarendon College errors, the Dodge City Community College softball team improved to 3-1 on their six-game weekend trip with an 8-5 and 17-3 (5 inn.) win over the host Bulldogs on Saturday, February 25th. 

DC3 is now 7-3 overall while the Bulldogs slipped to 11-7 on the season. 

"We finally did the things offensively that we know we are capable of doing, and it showed today" said head coach Howie Smith in a post-game interview.

In game one, the Conquistadors would get off to a slow start as the nine-hole hitter Taylor Menard would be the first Dodge City baserunner in the top of the third before a Kylie Fox single and Brittney Gonzalez single would bring home the first run of the game. DC3 would end up scoring three runs in the top half of the third on three hits and one error while stranding one. After giving up just a single hit to the Bulldogs in the bottom half of the inning, Dodge City would add on to their lead with a two-run fourth inning with both runs coming on a double by Fox. Clarendon would score one in the fourth before the Conquistadors would get the run back in the top of the fifth, heading into the bottom of the fifth with a 6-1 lead. Things would get interesting in the bottom of the fifth as the Bulldogs would score two runs on three hits to trim the DC3 lead to 6-3, but would strand two runners on base which would turn out to be costly. Neither team would get anything going in the sixth before two insurance runs by the Conquistadors would slam the door shut on the Bulldogs, despite two runs in the bottom of the seventh and the game-tying run on base. 

Gonzalez would finish two-for-three at the plate in game one with one run batted in while pitcher Kim Herron would collect two hits in four plate appearances while driving in a team-high two runs. Herron also went the distance on the mound, giving up five runs (3 earned) on nine hits while striking out eight batters. 

The floodgates would open in game two as the Conquistadors would score a single run in the first inning before putting up 10 runs on eight hits and five Bulldog errors while facing three pitchers in the inning. DC3 would lead by a score of 15-0 heading into the bottom of the third before Clarendon would finally get on the board with two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Conquistadors would answer the two-spot put up by the Bulldogs to claim a 17-2 lead before Clarendon would push across just a single run in the bottom of the fifth as the game would end via the run-rule. 

Brooklyn Botts reached base in all four at-bats while driving in three runs and being responsible for two additional runs. Adreanna Guerrero would also finish with a perfect game two by going three-for-three with a pair of runs batted in. Freshman Jordyn McDaniel bounced back from yesterday's loss at Western Texas to pick up the win by going the distance on the mound and giving up just three runs on six hits while fanning three. 

An end to the six-game road trip is in sight, as DC3 will finish up with a 12 p.m. doubleheader against Western Oklahoma State in Altus, OK. The Pioneers were 3-5 overall heading into a road doubleheader at Ranger College on Saturday afternoon.