MCCOOK, Neb. - The Dodge City Community College softball team found themselves needing late rallies in both games to sweep a non-conference doubleheader over McCook Community College by scores of 6-1 and 10-5 at the Jaycees Softball Complex in McCook on Thursday, March 23rd. 

DC3 is now 16-8 overall on the season while the Lady Indians fall to 9-19 overall. 

Game one stayed close early on as the Conquistadors would take a 1-0 lead after one inning of play. A one-out single by Brittney Gonzalez would allow the sophomore to steal second and advance to third on a throwing error by the catcher before a Taylor Menard double would put the first run of the game on the board. McCook would be set down in order the first time through the lineup, but Dodge City could not take advantage by being held in check in the second and third innings as well. A leadoff bunt in the bottom of the fourth would put a runner on for MCC before a sacrifice bunt and one out RBI-single would tie the game at one before pitcher Kim Herron would strand a Lady Indian runner at second. DC3 would respond to re-take the lead in the top of the fifth with Morgan Ihle collecting a one-out single before advancing to second on a Breanna Guerrero single and stealing third. After a strikeout to put the Conquistadors one out away from ending the inning with two runners in scoring position, Gonzalez would come through with an RBI double to bring home Ihle and make the score 2-1. 

Herron would go back to work in the bottom of the fifth to retire MCC in order before Dodge City would an insurance run in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 3-1. McCook would put their leadoff batter on in the bottom half of the inning before ending the runner at second, allowing for DC3 to break the game open in the seventh. The Conquistadors would collect base-hits with their first three batters of the inning as a Kylie Fox double followed by a Gonzalez bunt single and Menard two-RBI double would give DC3 some breathing room. Menard would come around to score on a Herron RBI groundout to make the score 6-1 before Herron would get two ground outs and a flyout to end the game. 

Gonzalez and Menard in the two and three-hole positions would provide the majority of the offense in game one, as Gonzalez would collect three hits and score two runs while Menard would go two-for-four and drive in three runs. DC3 would swipe six bags in the game, with Gonzalez (2), Brooklyn Botts (1), Ihle (2) and Guerrero (1) all recording stolen bases. Herron would toss a complete game on the rubber, giving up just the one run on three hits while fanning seven and facing just three batters over the minimum. 

Game two saw Dodge City in a different position as McCook would take a 4-0 lead at the end of the first and match DC3 with a run each in the second. After being held hitless in the top of the first, the Conquistadors would see the first five Lady Indian batters of the game get on base and forcing Herron to come in and pitch in relief of Jordyn McDaniel. Dodge City managed to get out of the inning trailing by a score of 4-0 and with work to do on the offensive side of things. It would appear as though the Conquistadors would get a run back in the top of the second as Botts would reach on a error before coming around to score on a Guerrero RBI groundout, but MCC would respond with a run of their own in the bottom of the second by using a pair of doubles. The next two innings of play would go scoreless as each team would settle in defensively, when the Conquistadors would finally start to close in on McCook's four run lead.

Gonzalez would lead off the fifth with single before Menard and Adreanna Guerrero would follow up with back-to-back singles to score Gonzalez and cut the lead to 5-2. Dodge City would strand a MCC runner at second in the bottom half of the inning, and take their first lead of the game in the top of the sixth by seeing the offense produce by putting up four runs. DC3's first six batters of the inning would reach base safely with a Fox two-RBI double followed by Gonzalez RBI bunt single would tie the game at 5 all. Menard would then deliver the go-ahead hit with a double to center field which would bring around Gonzalez to score. McCook would be held hitless in the bottom of the sixth before the Conquistadors added four insurance runs in the seventh, scoring four unearned runs on three McCook errors and two passed balls. The Lady Indians would load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh trailing by a score of 10-5, but a Herron strikeout would end the threat and the game to give Dodge City the non-conference sweep. 

After throwing a complete game to start off the day, Herron would throw seven innings in game two and give up just one hit on eight hits while nearly matching her game one output by striking out six. Five Conquistadors would finish with multiple hits in the game, led by Menard's three and two runs batted in. Fox would collect two hits and two RBI's while Ihle would score two runs and go two-for-four at the plate. Gonzalez (2) and Ihle (1) would add to their total of stolen bases to finish four and three on the day, respectively. 

A key Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference series is next in store for Dodge City when they travel to Liberal, Kansas to take on Seward County Community College for doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 25th. The Saints are 4-2 in the KJCCC while carrying a 29-12 overall record after splitting a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader at Barton County on Wednesday afternoon.