ALTUS, Okla. - Carrying the momentum from yesterday's doubleheader sweep over Clarendon College, the Dodge City Community College softball team picked up a pair of wins (11-2, 7-3) over Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, OK on Sunday, February 26th.
DC3 finishes their six-game road trip with a 5-1 record to improve to 9-3 overall. Dodge City has now won four consecutive games with their lone loss on the southern swing coming in game two to Western Texas College on Friday.
The bulk of the scoring by the Conquistadors in game one would come during the middle innings of the game, with four runs in the third inning being backed by another three runs in the fourth. After plating a single run in the top of the first on a
Taylor Menard sacrifice bunt to drive home
Brittney Gonzalez, Dodge City would be held in check in the second inning. Holding onto their one-run lead, DC3 would put leadoff batter
Breanna Guerrero on in the top of the third before a
Kylie Fox home-run would bring both home to make the score 3-0. The scoring wouldn't be done for the Conquistadors in the third, as Dodge City would put up a total of four runs on three hits and one error. Western Oklahoma State managed to push across a single run in the bottom of the third before DC3 would break the game open by plating three runs in the fourth. Menard would deliver the big hit in the inning with a two RBI single to right field before coming around to score on an
Adreanna Guerrero single. The next nine batters would be set down in order to send the game to the top of the sixth inning, where the Conquistadors would threaten with two runners on but be held empty. Another 1-2-3 inning for the Lady Pioneers would make way for Dodge City to add three insurance runs in the seventh, eventually taking the game by the nine-run margin.
Starting pitcher
Kim Herron would toss a complete game to go a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, allowing just two runs on four hits in the game while setting down eight Lady Pioneer batters. Menard would drive in four runs in the game while collecting a hit in all three at-bats. Fox and
Adreanna Guerrero would pick up two hits each.
An early 1-0 deficit after two innings of play in game two would await the Conquistadors, with Western Oklahoma State would take advantage of two DC3 errors in the second inning. With just two hits through the first three innings, Dodge City would finally gets the bats going in the fourth by taking advantage of a leadoff single by Gonzalez and a pair of Lady Pioneer errors to take a 2-1 lead. With
Jordyn McDaniel coming on to pitch in relief of
Matti Tieben, Western Oklahoma State would be set down in order in the fourth before the Dodge City would put up four runs (three unearned) to put the pressure on the Lady Pioneers. After allowing a single run in the bottom of the fifth inning, DC3 would get the run back in the top of the sixth to retain their five-run lead. Each team would go scoreless in their next at-bats before the Lady Pioneers would put the pressure on Dodge City in the bottom of the seventh. Western Oklahoma State would push across two runs with two outs in the inning, but could not complete a comeback as McDaniel would get Alexis Proul out on a fielder's choice to end the game.
Baylee Rial would be the only Conquistador with multiple hits in game two, finishing with two hits and one run scored. McDaniel would pick up the win with four innings pitched on the rubber, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out two batters.
A stiff test will await Dodge City when they return home, playing host to No. 2 nationally ranked Butler Community College on Wednesday, March 1st. The Grizzlies are undefeated this year at 20-0 and are on a 58-game winning streak after winning their final 38 games last year en route to the 2016 NJCAA National Championship. First pitch of the two-game doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. at Legends Field.
