CONCORDIA, Kan. - With a total of 33 runs scored, the Dodge City Community College baseball team gave head coach Phil Stephenson his 300th career win at DC3 with a doubleheader sweep (16-3, 17-4) over Cloud County Community College at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia, Kansas on Saturday, March 4th. 

DC3 is now 8-4 overall after sweeping opening day of Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference action while the Thunderbirds slipped to 8-8 overall and 0-2 in the KJCCC. 

The bulk of the damage in game one would be done in the top of the first for the Conquistadors as Dauson Tate, Gavin Gifford, and Talon Schaller would hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to put the score at 6-0. Having already batted around the lineup, Cade Engle would come back around to double and drive Trevor Close to third before Brayden Cook would follow up with a two RBI double to cap off the eight-run inning. Cloud County would not get anything going in the bottom of the first or second innings as DC3 would add a single run in the top of the second before a Richard Fullerton two-RBI double in the top of the third would put the score at 11-0. The T'Birds would take advantage of a leadoff error to bring around their first run of the game before a two-run home-run would give Cloud County some momentum despite trailing 11-3 heading to the fourth. Dodge City would put their first seven batters of the top of the fourth on base, with Tate hitting his second home run of the game to drive in Fullerton and put the score at 16-3 with the Conquistadors well in control. CCCC would threaten in their half of the fourth with runners on second and third before stranding the runners as neither team would push across another run with the game ending after five innings. 

Charlie Vizcaya would toss a complete game, giving up just three runs while striking out three and allowing just four hits. Tate and Fullerton would drive in four runs each while going a combined five-for-seven at the plate while also scoring a total of five runs. Cook would drive in three runs and go a perfect two-for-two at the plate. 

A quiet start to the game two would see both the Conquistadors and T'Birds push across one run each in the second before a nine-run third inning by Dodge City would break the game open. Talon Schaller would hit a one-out single to center and advance to third on an error before scoring on a wild pitch to put DC3 on the board heading into the bottom of the second. Cloud County would get the run back in the bottom half of the inning using a pair of two-out hits to tie the game at one. Cook would draw a one-out walk before Jake Pederson and Fullerton would each reach on errors by T'Bird infielders before Tate and Gifford would continue the inning with an RBI single and two-RBI double. Schaller would continue the hit parade with a single as the next three Conquistadors would reach base with Cade Engle hitting a sacrifice fly to end the streak. A Cook three-run home run to left field would cap off the nine-run, five-hit inning to put DC3 up 10-1. CCCC would go scoreless in their half of the third before holding Dodge City scoreless in the fourth, as the Thunderbirds would push two runs across in the bottom of the fourth but leave the bases loaded to end the inning. A scoreless fifth made way the Conquistadors to get back two runs in the sixth as Tate and Gifford would once-again go back-to-back with home runs to left center field and push the lead back to 10 at 13-3. Things would get quiet again for the next inning and a half before Cloud County would plate a single run in the bottom of the seventh while holding DC3 scoreless. The Conquistadors would cap off their day with a four-run ninth as Fullerton would triple home Engle and Close before Tate hit his fourth home-run of the day to put Dodge City up 17-4 as CCCC would go scoreless in the ninth. 

Three DC3 pitchers would see action in the game with Tommy Knowlton picking up the victory by throwing five innings and allowing just three runs on five hits while fanning eight. Eric Lindsay would work 2.2 inngs and give up just one run while Jonny Chavez would close out the game by tossing a scoreless one and one third innings. Tate and Fullerton continued their monster days by collecting three hits each with Tate driving in four runs and Fullerton three. Gifford would also drive in three runs while Engle and Cook would draw two walks apiece. 

DC3 and Cloud County will conclude their four-game series tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. with a seven-inning game followed by a nine-inning game. 

Stephenson:
In his 12th season at the helm of the Conquistadors, Stephenson is now 300-307 with one NJCAA Region VI Title and NJCAA World Series appearance in 2015. The 2015 NJCAA World Series team led by Stephenson was only the second team in school history to make the NJCAA World Series (1958). Of the 19 coaches in the KJCCC, Stephenson ranks 8th in terms of career wins, with four of the coaches in front of Stephenson having coached their respective schools for 30-plus years. Of coaches in their 15th or fewer year at their current school, Stephenson trails only Chris Finnegan in career wins while holding a 122-69 overall record since 2014.