LIBERAL, Kan. - Early deficits in both games were too much to overcome for the Dodge City Community College softball team in a 4-3 and 13-7  at the Saint Softball Field in Liberal, Kansas on Saturday, March 25th. 

DC3 is now 16-10 overall and 4-6 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while the Lady Saints improved 31-12 and 6-2 in the Jayhawk Conference. 

The Conquistadors would strand a leadoff double by Kylie Fox at third to start the game before an error allowed for a two-run home run to be hit and put Dodge City in an early 2-0 deficit. Strikeouts would be the story of the second inning as starting pitchers would combine to sit down five of the six batters in the second inning via strikeout with the only out not recorded via strikeout coming on a groundout to the pitcher. Morgan Ihle would lead off the top of the third by reaching on an error before a Breanna Guerrero sacrifice bunt would move the freshman into scoring position. Brittney Gonzalez would deliver with a two-out double to score Ihle and cut the Seward County lead in half, but no more damage would be done by the Conquistadors. SCCC responded int he bottom of the third with three straight doubles to start the inning and score a pair of runs to push the lead to 4-1 before DC3 would escape without any more damage by turning a double play and getting a groundout to end the inning. Things would stay quiet until the top of the seventh inning when DC3 would see their first two batters of the inning strike out and pop out to end up being down to their last out. Kim Herron would get things going by reaching on an error before a Baylee Rial double would move Herron to third before the sophomore would score on the second error of the inning. An Ihle double brought around Rial to cut the lead to 4-3 and the tying run in scoring position, but all would be for not as the Lady Saint starting pitcher Monique Ashley would get a strikeout to end the game. 

Herron would take the loss in the game, throwing all six innings and striking out five. Five DC3 batters would collect hits int he game with Fox, Gonzalez, Rial, and Ihle hitting doubles. Gonzalez, Rial, and Ihle each drove in one run. 

DC3 woud get off to a better start in game two offensively, but could not keep up with SCCC as the Lady Saints would take a 2-1 lead after one and hold a 11-2 lead after three innings of play. A Gonzalez RBI groundout would score Fox who managed to get on base with a leadoff single, but saw three consecutive outs to end the inning. A solo home-run would tie the game at one. Botts would break the deadlock with a steal of home in the top of the second before the Lady Saints would take their first lead of the game on a three-run home run in the second. Dodge City would strand a runner at third in the top of the third, allowing for SCCC to break the game open with six runs on seven hits to go up by a score of 11-2. Another Seward County run would be pushed across in the bottom of the fourth following two Conquistador errors, as nothing seemed to go right for Dodge City in the middle innings of the game. Guerrero would lead off the top of the fourth for DC3 with a bunt single and come around to score on a Fox RBI single as Dodge City would put up five runs in the inning to cut into the Lady Saint lead and gain some momentum. The momentum would be carried over into the bottom of the inning where SCCC would go down in order, but the Conquistadors would be unable to capitalize in the sixth. Seward County managed to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth before ending the game with thre consecutive strikeouts in the top of the seventh. 

Fox and Makayla Tegtmeir produced a majority of the scoring for the Conquistadors in game two, as Fox would go three-for-four at the plate with one RBI while Tegtmeir drove in two runs. Rial would provide the only DC3 extra-base hit in the game with a double in the top of the fifth. 

Dodge City will travel to Colby, Kansas to take on Colby Community College in a KJCCC doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29th.