DODGE CITY, Kan. - Three runs in the top of the seventh by Butler Community College would end up making the difference against Dodge City Community College in a 4-1 loss before the Conquistadors would rally with a 5-1 win in game two at Cavalier Field on Sunday, March 12th. 

DC3 saw their 11-game winning streak snapped in the loss before rebounding to improve to 15-5 overall on the season and 7-1 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The Grizzlies are now 10-12 overall and 2-6 in the KJCCC through two conference series. 

A 28 mile per hour wind blowing straight out to center field would not benefit Dodge City in game one, who would be limited to only four hits in the game. BCC would be retired in order to start the game before DC3 would strand a leadoff double to left center field. Butler would not fare any better in the second before a Jonny Chavez leadoff double would allow for Cade Engle to sacrifice the freshman home on a fly out to right field and take a 1-0 lead. A one out walk followed by hit by pitch in the top of the third would put runners on first and second as the Grizzlies would load the bases with two outs, but Dodge City starting pitcher Joe Buckendorf would strand all three runners with a fly out to end the inning and keep the score 1-0 in favor of DC3. After the Conquistadors would go down in order, BCC would tie the game with a two out solo home run in the fourth to break up the no-hit bid. A stalemate would ensue for the next two and a half innings to keep the game tied at one heading to the top of the seventh with only five hits being recorded through six innings. Butler would finally break out of being limited to just one run in the first 22 innings of the series by taking advantage of a one out walk when nine-hole hitter Mason Goade would break the tie with a two-run home run to left center field. A two-out triple followed by an RBI single would put the score at 4-1 in favor of the Grizzlies heading into Dodge City's last chance at bat. A Trevor Close leadoff single would be all that DC3 could muster, falling to the Grizzlies by a three-run margin. 

Buckendorf would end up taking his first loss of the year on the mound to fall to 3-1 overall, tossing 6.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits and striking out six. J.T. Mossberg would record the final defensive out for DC3 with a strikeout. 

Dodge City would ensure that they would not trail at all in game two, as Engle would leadoff the bottom of the first with a solo home run on the first pitch of the inning to quickly put the score at 1-0. With seven of the first 10 Butler batters being retired via strikeout, Dauson Tate would end a recent slump with a two-out home run to drive in Engle and give the Conquistadors a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth. BCC would get a single run back in the top of the fourth after a walk and hit-by-pitch with a stolen base mixed in had run come in on a balk to cut into the DC3 lead. Dodge City would strand one runner in the bottom of the fourth before stranding a Grizzly runner in the top of the fifth with the game looking similar to the first three of the series, which were all pitcher's duels. A two-out double by Bradyen Cook would go wasted in the bottom of the fifth to keep the score at 3-1 in favor of Dodge City heading to the sixth as BCC would go hitless with a walk in their half of the frame. The game would remain at it's two-run margin until the bottom of the seventh when Trevor Close would hit a leadoff triple, allowing an Eric Reid RBI single to drive him in while getting to second on a throwing error. A sacrifice bunt would move Reid to third as Cook would single to center field and add a second insurance run to push the score to 5-1 in favor of DC3. Hayden Davey would come in and throw a scoreless eighth inning before the Conquistadors would strand two in the bottom of the eighth, keeping the score at 5-1. Sophomore Dalton Harvey would slam the door shut on the Grizzlies to end the game, heading into spring break no-worse than tied for first in the KJCCC West. 

Cole Brandon (2-1) would throw seven innings in the game, allowing just one run on two hits while fanning 13 batters. Davey and Harvey would combine to strike out four batters to retire 17 Butler Batters with K's. Cook and catcher Robert Perea would collect a pair of hits each to finish two-for-three at the plate while Tate would collect two runs batted in. 

A week off for spring break means that Dodge City will not take the field again until Saturday, March 18th when the Conquistadors travel to Great Bend to take on Barton County in a four-game set. Day one of back-to-back doubleheaders will start at 1 p.m. as Barton had the conference bye this weekend and sits at 17-3 overall and 3-1 in the KJCCC.